Assam Police has detained 12 Bangladeshis, including children, from Goalpara town, amid an ongoing crackdown against illegal immigrants from the country.
Officials said that on the evening of October 9, 12 suspicious persons got into a bus coming from Guwahati near the bus stand in Goalpara town and were seen loitering for a long time. This alerted locals, who informed cops. Later, police questioned the persons, and they admitted that they had come from the Sylhet district of Bangladesh.
They were detained and taken to Goalpara Sadar Police Station.
The detained Bangladeshis are identified as Sirajul Islam (45), his sons Faim Ahmed (24) and Rahem Ahmed (18), Sirajul Islam's wife Jobeda Begum (38), daughter Tania Begum (19), Faim Ahmed's daughter Fahima Begum (1.4 years), Faim Ahmed's son Ali Hussain (5.5 years), Amir Ali (38), Amir Ali's son Rohen Ali (19), Amir Ali's wife Khodeja Begum (36), Rumena Akhtar (18), and Yasin Ali (10 months).
These people are reportedly from Hasimpur village under Barolekha police station of Moulvibazar district of Bangladesh, and West Chandpur village under Sunamganj police station of Sylhet district.
One of the detainees, Sirajul Islam, claimed that a broker from Bangladesh named Sabuj lured them with the promise of work in Assam. He brought them to India by crossing the border through a forest on October 6.
The broker gang then brought them to Guwahati via Meghalaya with the promise of work in a stone quarry.
After staying in Guwahati for two days, another member of the broker gang took Rs 7,000 and their mobile phones from them on the pretext of booking tickets and disappeared. Later, helpless, they came to Goalpara by bus from Guwahati, where they were caught
After keeping the detained Bangladeshis at the Sadar Police Station for that night, they were brought to the Reserve Police Line at Beltala on October 10. After interrogation at the police line, they were sent to the Matia Transit Camp.