Cooch Behar: Acting on a tip-off, Dinhata police arrested 16 Bangladeshi nationals near the Foli-Mari Station area on Monday. The group, which includes six men, four women and six children, are originally from Kurigram district in Bangladesh. According to police sources, the individuals had been living in India illegally for an extended period and were previously working in the Noida area. They had reportedly travelled from Delhi to Dinhata via New Cooch Behar Railway Station, intending to cross the border and return to Bangladesh. Before they could reach the border, police intercepted and detained them based on intelligence inputs. All 16 were produced before the Dinhata Sub-Divisional Court on Tuesday.
Dinhata Police Station in-charge Jaydeep Modak confirmed the arrests, stating: “Sixteen Bangladeshi citizens have been taken into custody. They were produced in court today and an investigation is currently underway.” This incident follows a similar operation last Friday when Dinhata police arrested 18 Bangladeshi nationals from the same area. These consecutive arrests suggest an ongoing crackdown by local authorities targeting illegal immigration routes used by Bangladeshi nationals to return home. Police believe that in light of intensified enforcement across multiple states, many undocumented Bangladeshis residing in different parts of India are attempting to reach Bengal as a transit point for returning to Bangladesh.