9 Bangladeshis arrested, sent back as 'goodwill gesture'

Shillong: Eight Bangladeshi women and a man, who illegally crossed the border, were arrested by BSF personnel in Meghalaya's South West Khasi Hills district, officials said Friday.

The Bangladeshis, who were caught on February 25, were handed over to the authorities of the neighbouring country by the Border Security Force as a goodwill gesture the next day, they said.

The illegal immigrants had crossed the International Border on Monday through an unfenced area to visit a weekly market, which is about 30 km away, the BSF said.

Acting on inputs received that a group of Bangladeshis had crossed over, the BSF team deployed at Kaithakona carried out intensive search, frisking and checking of vehicular movement along the border, a BSF spokesperson said.

In the process, the Bangladesh nationals -- one male and eight females -- en-route to the Khanjoy market were apprehended, he said.

Vegetables and fishes seized from them were handed over to the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) with the persons, the official said.

The BSF personnel requested the BGB to press charges against them for crossing the International Border without valid documents, he said.