Darjeeling: Three Bangladeshi nationals, who had illegally entered India and started living in the country under false identities, were arrested by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) near the India-Nepal border at Panitanki on Tuesday night.
The arrested men, all siblings from the same family, have been identified as Amal Roy, Gautam Roy and Pritam Roy. However, after entering India, they posed as Amal Barman, Gautam Barman and Pritam Barman while residing in the Kharibari-Panitanki area of Siliguri. Officials recovered documents proving their Bangladeshi citizenship during the operation carried out by the 41st Battalion of the SSB.
According to SSB sources, Gautam Roy illegally entered India on December 5, 2024, through the Haldibari border in Cooch Behar. He later settled in Panitanki and began working as an electrician. His brother Pritam entered India legally on April 1, 2024, using a valid passport and visa. However, after his visa expired, he continued staying in Panitanki, where he found work as a mason. The third brother, Amal Roy, crossed into India in February this year through the Changrabandha border and started working
at a tailor’s shop in Panitanki.
The trio was apprehended and handed over to Kharibari police station by the SSB. Police arrested them under relevant sections of the law and produced them before the Siliguri court on Wednesday.