BALURGHAT: Two Bangladeshi nationals were arrested by the Border Security Force (BSF) on charges of illegal entry into India to buy liquor. The duo, identified as Mohammad Mithu (32) and Sabuj Ali Molla (22), were caught on Monday night from the Aptair area under Hili Police Station and later handed over to the local police.
Investigations revealed that both hail from Fakirpara village under Hakimpur Police Station in Bangladesh. According to police sources, they had crossed the Hili border with the help of local smugglers.
After purchasing 34 bottles of foreign liquor, they attempted to return to Bangladesh. To evade detection, they hid beneath water hyacinths in a pond near the border and wore black clothes to blend into the darkness. However, BSF personnel intercepted them before they could cross back.
Police suspect that the accused were part of a racket engaged in smuggling liquor across the border, selling it in Bangladesh at three times the price. Preliminary findings indicate the involvement of an Indian network assisting them.
Both accused were produced before the Balurghat district court on Tuesday, which remanded them to three days’ police custody. Hili Police IC, Shirshendu Das, said: “The two are being interrogated and every angle is being investigated.”