21 Held in Tripura for Illegal Border Crossing, CM Reaffirms Zero-Tolerance Policy

Agartala, May 22, 2025, By Our Correspondent

Agartala, May 22:  Tripura Police and the Border Security Force (BSF) have apprehended 21 individuals—16 Bangladeshi nationals and five Indian citizens—for illegally crossing the India-Bangladesh border from various locations across the state, officials said on Thursday.

A BSF spokesperson reported that nine Bangladeshi nationals, including four women and two children, were intercepted near the Manu Border Outpost in West Tripura district while attempting to return to Bangladesh. The group had been working illegally in private firms in Agartala for around two years.

In a separate operation, the BSF seized foreign contraband, including cigarettes worth ₹50 lakh, from Srinagar in South Tripura.

Tripura Police also detained five Bangladeshi nationals from the Madhupur area in Sepahijala district early Thursday. Acting on a tip-off and with support from local villagers, police caught the group near the border. All five, members of the same family from Bangladesh's Kurigram district, admitted they were heading to Delhi with assistance from a human trafficker.

In another incident from Belonia, South Tripura, police arrested two Bangladeshi nationals along with four Indian citizens from West Bengal. The Indian nationals had previously crossed into Bangladesh illegally and returned with the Bangladeshis, bypassing legal immigration protocols. One more Indian national from Tripura was detained by the BSF after illegally re-entering India from Bangladesh without documentation.

Tripura, sharing an 856 km border with Bangladesh, remains highly susceptible to cross-border movement and infiltration.

Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha reiterated on Wednesday that the state would not tolerate illegal immigration from Bangladesh or Myanmar. He emphasized that infiltrators would be pushed back per legal provisions and directed security forces to maintain maximum vigilance along the international border to protect the state's security and sovereignty.