Assam Police detain 36 Bangladeshi nationals in Dhubri anti-infiltration operation

Hyderabad: Assam Police detained 36 suspected Bangladeshi nationals during an anti-infiltration operation at Jogamaya Ferry Ghat in Dhubri district on Friday, following a specific intelligence tip-off. 

Dhubri Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Debasish Borah told reporters that all 36 individuals had been identified as Bangladeshi nationals, with no Indian citizens among those detained. Police are questioning them to establish how they entered India, whether traffickers or middlemen facilitated their movement, and their intended destination. 

Preliminary information suggests that the group travelled by boat from Hatsingimari to Dhubri. The individuals are residents of Chapai Nawabganj in Bangladesh's Rajshahi district and were allegedly planning to travel further to Chennai in Tamil Nadu. 

Security sources said a middleman named Milan was allegedly involved in arranging their onward journey. His role, however, remains under investigation. 

Police are also examining intelligence about a larger group of around 38 people who allegedly entered India through riverine routes along the border. According to the information available to investigators, middlemen charged between Rs 15,000 and Rs 17,000 per person to facilitate the crossing. 

Security sources said the group members were mostly between 30 and 40 years old and had entered India through Meghalaya. Authorities are investigating the alleged network involved in their entry and onward movement. 

The detainees are likely to face legal action under relevant provisions of the Foreigners Act and the Passport Act. Police have also intensified searches at other ferry ghats, bus terminals and railway stations in the area to trace any remaining members of the group and their associates.