06-01-2004, 08:51 PM
<b>40 Bangladeshis held near Kolkata </b>
Saugar Sengupta/ Barasat
The Bengal police on Monday came in the way of a group of Bangladeshi nationals - seeking a passage to India - and foiled yet another attempt at crossing the border and melting in the Indian crowd. In one of the biggest raids in recent times, the North 24 Parganas police on Monday arrested a bus load of Bangladeshi infiltrators from Madhyamgram, 20 miles off Kolkata.
The intruders, all from Nanpur village of Jessore in Bangladesh, had bribed their way into India and had entered the country crossing the Bongaon border, North 24 Parganas police said. A league of about 40 intruders were arrested near Madhyamgram, while they were travelling in a local bus.
<b>They had boarded the bus from Machlandpur near Bongaon and "were going to Howrah station to catch a Mumbai-bound train," the police added</b>.
"Abject poverty has brought us to this country... We have no land in Bangladesh and have often to go hungry. Our neighbours, many of whom are in Mumbai, asked us to migrate to that city where life is much smoother," said Tudul Islam, one of the Bangladeshis arrested in the raid.
The intruders, who had paid Rs 1,000 each for a safe passage to Kolkata, cursed the agents who had "promised to take us to Howrah station but deserted us at Bongaon border," said a friend of Tudul.
<b>"Earlier they used to charge Rs 500. But they asked us to pay 500 more as the BSF had become more vigilant these days," </b>Asma Khatun, who also hails from Nanpur village and has borrowed heavily from moneylenders to earn a better future in India's commercial capital.
According to a rough estimate, over 20,000 people cross over to this country only via North 24 Parganas, said a senior district official on conditions of anonymity adding, "it often becomes difficult for us to track them down for want of lead from the BSF."
In fact, feel the locals, the constant competition between the BSF and the police has led to a lack of coordination between the two forces resulting in infiltration in such a large number.
Meanwhile, following reports of terrorists sneaking into Kolkata, the cops have alerted the residents of the city to remain vigilant and inform the police about new faces seeking tenancy.
<b>"We have reports only about some terrorists. We do not even know whether they are Northeast militants or Islamists or the Naxalites.</b> They are in a desperate need of shelter to give shape to their evil designs and could even come in the garb of executives of multinational companies. So we have asked the residents to inform us if new faces appear seeking tenancy," said the DC headquarters.
Saugar Sengupta/ Barasat
The Bengal police on Monday came in the way of a group of Bangladeshi nationals - seeking a passage to India - and foiled yet another attempt at crossing the border and melting in the Indian crowd. In one of the biggest raids in recent times, the North 24 Parganas police on Monday arrested a bus load of Bangladeshi infiltrators from Madhyamgram, 20 miles off Kolkata.
The intruders, all from Nanpur village of Jessore in Bangladesh, had bribed their way into India and had entered the country crossing the Bongaon border, North 24 Parganas police said. A league of about 40 intruders were arrested near Madhyamgram, while they were travelling in a local bus.
<b>They had boarded the bus from Machlandpur near Bongaon and "were going to Howrah station to catch a Mumbai-bound train," the police added</b>.
"Abject poverty has brought us to this country... We have no land in Bangladesh and have often to go hungry. Our neighbours, many of whom are in Mumbai, asked us to migrate to that city where life is much smoother," said Tudul Islam, one of the Bangladeshis arrested in the raid.
The intruders, who had paid Rs 1,000 each for a safe passage to Kolkata, cursed the agents who had "promised to take us to Howrah station but deserted us at Bongaon border," said a friend of Tudul.
<b>"Earlier they used to charge Rs 500. But they asked us to pay 500 more as the BSF had become more vigilant these days," </b>Asma Khatun, who also hails from Nanpur village and has borrowed heavily from moneylenders to earn a better future in India's commercial capital.
According to a rough estimate, over 20,000 people cross over to this country only via North 24 Parganas, said a senior district official on conditions of anonymity adding, "it often becomes difficult for us to track them down for want of lead from the BSF."
In fact, feel the locals, the constant competition between the BSF and the police has led to a lack of coordination between the two forces resulting in infiltration in such a large number.
Meanwhile, following reports of terrorists sneaking into Kolkata, the cops have alerted the residents of the city to remain vigilant and inform the police about new faces seeking tenancy.
<b>"We have reports only about some terrorists. We do not even know whether they are Northeast militants or Islamists or the Naxalites.</b> They are in a desperate need of shelter to give shape to their evil designs and could even come in the garb of executives of multinational companies. So we have asked the residents to inform us if new faces appear seeking tenancy," said the DC headquarters.