The South Bengal unit of the BSF has apprehended 268 Bangladeshi nationals along the border in the first 24 days of this year.
Speaking to journalists on Friday, Inspector General of the South Bengal Frontier of the BSF Y.B. Khurania said there had been an increase in the outflow of Bangladeshi migrants in last month. He indicated that most of them were arrested while crossing over to Bangladesh.
Earlier, Border Guards Bangladesh, indicated that it had caught about 1,000 Bangladeshis who went out of the country illegally.
While the BSF officials did not comment on whether the increased apprehensions of Bangladeshi nationals was linked to the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the figures indicate a spike in the arrests in recent months as compared to the previous year. According to the BSF, in 2019, it had arrested 2,194 Bangladeshi nationals along the border.
BSF officials said Bangladeshi nationals were not only arrested for crossing in and out of the country but for also smuggling goods and cattle. Hundreds of Indians were also arrested for the same, the BSF added. In January 2020, the number of Indians arrested in border smuggling or for crossing over to the other side is 29.
