Bangladeshi intruders held in Tripura yet to give credible explanation: Police

Three Bangladeshi intruders with diplomatic passports, who were arrested in Tripura last Sunday, have yet to give a credible account of what they claim to be their transit through India to Turkey, police said here on Saturday.

The police are not ruling out involvement in terror related activities as the purpose of their journey.

"The Bangladeshi officials' entry into India through illegal route is mysterious. They might have been planning to join some terror outfit in Turkey or some other Muslim nation. We are looking at all aspects," a police official said.

He said the detainees are lodged in Sonamura jail in Sipahijala district, where they were arrested on May 22, and intelligence and police officials are interrogating them.

"They are yet to disclose any credible facts," the official said.

The intruders were found to be in possession of US$2300 and large amounts of Turkish and Indian currencies in addition to considerable luggage.

"A senior official of Bangladesh's agriculture department certified about the officials, who are aged between 28 and 38 years," the official said.

After Dhaka's crackdown against its citizens' overseas visits through unofficial routes, Bangladeshis are using alternative routes, such as through India's northeast and Myanmar, to go to other countries for various reasons, he said.

Sipahijala district police chief Pradip De told IANS: "The matter is very serious. In depth investigation is now on. We would not disclose any thing in the middle of the probe."

In March, police had arrested 58 Bangladeshi nationals, including women and children, in two phases after they entered Tripura illegally.

Tripura shares an 856-km border with Bangladesh. However, most parts of the frontier are mountainous and riverine.

--IANS

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