In a significant crackdown against illegal migration, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has arrested 88 individuals, including Bangladeshis and Rohingyas, in Tripura and other areas under the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) over the past two months.
The operations, conducted between June and July, highlight ongoing concerns about illegal border crossings from Bangladesh into India.
According to a statement released by Sabyasachi De, Chief Public Relations Officer of NFR, the arrests included 47 illegal migrants and five Indian agents in June alone, with an additional 41 apprehended so far in July.
The RPF's intensified efforts come amid rising tensions over migration issues in the region.
On July 2, RPF teams apprehended a group of 11 individuals at Agartala railway station, comprising nine females and two males.
Many of those arrested failed to present valid documentation and later confessed to crossing the border illegally.
Some migrants had intended to travel to Kolkata via train.
Similar operations yielded arrests in Badarpur, Tripura, and New Jalpaiguri in north Bengal.
The porous 4,096-kilometer India-Bangladesh border has long posed challenges in controlling illegal migration, particularly in states like Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya, and West Bengal.
To counter this, the RPF has ramped up surveillance in trains and railway stations, actively seeking to identify illegal migrants attempting to enter other parts of India.
Reports indicate that many arrested individuals were found carrying fake Indian documents and aimed to reach major cities such as Kolkata, Delhi, and Bangalore, primarily in search of employment.
In a concurrent effort, the Border Security Force (BSF) has increased its vigilance along the India-Bangladesh border, successfully arresting several illegal migrants in Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura in recent weeks.
On Sunday, BSF personnel in Tripura detained five Bangladeshi nationals and two Rohingyas during a patrol along the border, further underscoring the urgency of the situation.
Rohingyas have been fleeing Myanmar since 1997 due to ongoing conflicts, seeking refuge in Bangladesh. This influx has added another layer of complexity to the illegal migration crisis in the region.
23 Bangladeshi nationals arrested at Agartala railway station
In a separate incident on Sunday, a total of 23 Bangladeshi nationals were arrested at Agartala railway station. These individuals, aged between 21 and 49, had intended to travel to Chennai via Guwahati in pursuit of job opportunities.
Based on specific intelligence, a joint operation involving the RPF, BSF, and Government Railway Police (GRP) was executed at Agartala station on Saturday evening.
Officer-in-charge of the GRP police station in Agartala, Tapas Das, confirmed that the detained individuals lacked valid documents for travel within Indian territory.
In response to the growing number of arrests at Agartala station, the BSF's intelligence wing has intensified surveillance efforts in and around railway stations to prevent further illegal crossings.
The crackdown reflects the government's commitment to tackling illegal migration and ensuring border security amid ongoing challenges in the region.
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