Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that twelve Bangladeshi nationals, consisting of nine adults and three children, were taken into custody in the Goalpara district following an unauthorized entry into India. Law enforcement officials are currently examining potential links to an illegal migration and human trafficking syndicate.
According to officials, a local resident noticed the distressed group wandering and crying out in panic on Friday night, prompting them to notify authorities. Sarma stated that the individuals reported crossing the international boundary through Jaflong in Meghalaya on October 5 with the assistance of a broker identified as Sabor.
The group detailed that a Khasi man accompanied their broker to Guwahati, where they were sheltered for three days. Following this, the primary broker reportedly absconded near the Guwahati railway station after confiscating 7,000 Bangladeshi Taka and a mobile phone from the victims. The stranded group subsequently boarded a bus to Goalpara on Friday evening, leading to their discovery by the alert resident.
Investigators revealed that the brokers lured the victims by displaying video calls featuring other Bangladeshi citizens reportedly employed at a Guwahati enterprise, offering false assurances of steady work. The enterprise owner was allegedly slated to pay 20,000 rupees for each adult worker, which would later be deducted from their earnings.
Sarma emphasized that a coordinated human trafficking and unauthorized migration angle is heavily suspected as investigations proceed. He noted that the detained individuals will face legal proceedings, and law enforcement has vowed to hunt down all local accomplices who facilitated their entry and movement within the country.
Assam maintains a 267.5-kilometer international border with Bangladesh spanning the Sribhumi, Cachar, Dhubri, and South Salmara-Mankachar districts. Regional infrastructure includes integrated check posts at Sutarkandi in Sribhumi, Dawki in Meghalaya, and Akhaura in Tripura, alongside an additional post at Darranga on the Bhutan border. State authorities and the Border Security Force maintain ongoing measures to curb illegal cross-border infiltration.