Bengal: 10 Bangladeshi nationals arrested in Raidighi

Kolkata, Aug 20 (IANS) As many as 10 Bangladeshi nationals were arrested from Raidighi in South 24 Parganas district, police said on Thursday. Raidighi police station has sent them to a holding centre, and it was learnt that they will be pushed back to Bangladesh soon.

According to police sources, the arrested are members of the same family. They live in Ferozepur, Bangladesh, and illegally entered India six years ago before moving to Bengaluru in search of work. They worked as bricklayers there. Recently, following arrests of Bangladeshis in Bengaluru, the family of 10 fled after receiving the news.

It is learnt that out of the 10 people, two are children, three women and five men. They fled from Bengaluru and came to Raidighi a week ago, taking shelter at a relative’s house in Nagendrapur.

Acting on a tip-off, officers from Raidighi police station raided the area on Wednesday night and arrested them at the relative’s house.

Police said the 10 people had Bangladeshi national ID cards. After investigating all aspects and confirming their identity, the police arrested them. During interrogation, they confessed to working as bricklayers in Bengaluru.

“Fearing arrest by the police there, they somehow escaped to the state. They hid at a relative’s house in Raidighi for a week. After a physical examination, they were sent to the holding centre in Lakshmikantapur in the Diamond Harbour area.

From there, they will be pushed back to Bangladesh at a specific time. The Raidighi police have started the pushback process,” said a senior officer of Sundarban Police District.

It may be noted that since the change of government in the state, Bangladeshi nationals living illegally in the country have been arrested on several occasions. They were arrested from Murshidabad, Malda, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri districts.

–IANS

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