8 B'deshis arrested for crossing border illegally

Police arrested eight Bangladeshi nationals from Swarupnagar, North 24 Parganas on Tuesday for illegally crossing the India-Bangladesh border. The accused persons were arrested while they were standing at Nababkathi bus stand, waiting to board a bus. The investigators suspected that these people, who are to be interrogated soon, had entered North 24 Parganas by illegally crossing the border at Ghojadanga. Police seized Indian currency notes worth Rs 3000 from them. "The arrested individuals said that they had come to India to earn their livelihoods and were supposed to visit some other places in the district," a police source said.

The source also mentioned that the accused apparently wanted to work in brick kilns in the district. Cross-border infiltration has increased lately. "We have increased our watchfulness along the border villages. Many innocent people come here to earn their livelihoods but criminals also enter in the same process," the source said. Last year, police arrested nine Bangladeshi nationals, for illegally crossing the border. During the preliminary interrogation, they revealed that they had planned to travel down south in search of jobs. "Anti-national elements take these routes to enter India,"the source added.