Agartala: Fifteen Bangladeshi nationals, including seven transgender individuals, were apprehended in separate incidents across Tripura within the past 24 hours.
The state, which shares a porous 856-kilometer border with Bangladesh, continues to grapple with infiltration issues.
The apprehended Bangladeshi nationals have been identified as Sahadad Hossein, Trisha Akhtar, Safla Akhtar, Raju Ahmed, Shah Alam, Sukadri Sheikh, Md Biplab, and Karim Sheikh. The Indian smugglers are Ratan Pal and Shukla Sarkar from Sonamura in Sepahijala district.
In the first incident, Tripura police intercepted a bus at Panisagar checkpoint in North Tripura district and detained seven individuals on suspicion.
Subsequent interrogation revealed they were Bangladeshi citizens in possession of fake Aadhaar and PAN cards.
The group, including the transgender individuals, was en route to Mumbai via Guwahati. Police believe they crossed the border from Akhaura in Bangladesh with the assistance of a smuggler.
Separately, Government Railway Police (GRP) apprehended eight more Bangladeshi nationals and two Indian human traffickers at Agartala Railway Station.
The arrested Bangladeshis were headed to Kolkata and Chennai. Authorities are seeking police remand for all detainees.