The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the lead intelligence agency along India’s frontiers with Nepal and Bhutan, has alerted the Government and security agencies about suspected coronavirus positive Indian Muslim nationals, working in Islamic countries, being pushed from Nepal to India to spread the pandemic.
Jalim Mukhiya, a hardened criminal, backed by some Pakistani nationals, is trying to facilitate the infiltration of Covid-19 positive suspects, it said in a letter to the Bihar government.
The SSB has alerted all its units along the Nepal border following an intelligence input and also informed its Nepalese counterpart, the Armed Police Force.
As things stand, Bihar is witnessing an alarming surge in the number of corona positive cases. The districts of Siwan, Nawada and Begusarai have already been locked down completely.
In a letter to the District Magistrate and Superintendant of Police of West Champaran district of Bihar on April 3, the SSB said, “Input received from very reliable sources that one person namely Jalim Mukhiya, resident of village Jagannathpur, Post Janki Tola under police station Serwa of district Parsa (Nepal) is planning to spread Corona pandemic in India.”
“He (Mukhiya) is also involved in smuggling of Arms and FICN from Nepal to India. Further, he has taken the responsibility to cross Indian Muslim nationals working in different Muslim countries during lockdown,” reads the SSB alert.
The SSB intelligence further said, “As per source around 200 Indian Muslim nationals (working in Muslim countries) along with 05 to 06 Pakistani nationals have arrived in Nepal via Kathmandu and presently residing in mosque/madrassas at village Chandanbasra and Khairwa in Nepal. As per sources 40 to 50 more suspected Indian Muslim nationals will arrive today and more likely to be arriving in coming days. As per sources, these nationals were consuming Paracetamol tabletsfor lowering temperature on the way and they may be corona positive.”
Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey said a curfew like situation is prevailing in the three districts. People are not allowed to move from one house to another, he said.
The SSB is the designated border guarding force that secures the 2,450 km borders with Nepal and Bhutan.
The SSB has tightened its vigil on the border to check infiltration of such Covid-infected jehadis during the ongoing lockdown. The borders have been sealed in view of the alert, SSB officials added.
Bihar Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Amir Subhani, said the police and Union Home Ministry had been informed. "SSB did not say people have infiltrated from Nepal, they have only stated that there is a possibility. We have alerted police and Union Home Ministry has been informed. Nobody will be allowed to enter from our borders," he told a news agency on Friday.
"All our units all along the 1,751-km-long Nepal border were already on alert since cross-border movement was stopped due to the ongoing lockdown enforced in the country to contain the spread of COVID-19," a senior Sashastra Seema Bal official said adding, "With this new modus operandi being detected and intelligence generated, we have asked all the units to be cautious."