Agartala, June 28: Eight Bangladeshi infiltrators were arrested by Tripura Police in two separate operations at Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport in Agartala following specific intelligence inputs, with investigators suspecting they were attempting to travel outside the state.
Speaking to reporters, Officer-in-Charge of Airport Police Station, Inspector Susanta Deb, said police had received credible information that four Bangladeshi nationals would arrive at MBB Airport on June 26 with plans to travel to outside.
“Acting on the intelligence and with the assistance of MBB Airport staff, we successfully apprehended all four,” Deb said.
He said the four were brought to the police station for interrogation, during which investigators gathered fresh leads.
Acting on the information obtained during questioning, Airport Police conducted another operation on June 27 and arrested four more Bangladeshi infiltrators from the MBB Airport area.
With the latest arrests, the total number of Bangladeshi nationals apprehended in the two operations has risen to eight.
Deb said four of the accused were produced before the court on Sunday, while the remaining four continue to remain in police custody. Police have sought five days’ remand of the latter to facilitate further interrogation.
According to the preliminary investigation, the arrested persons intended to travel to Guwahati. However, the OC said investigators are continuing to interrogate them to establish their complete travel plan, the route through which they entered India, and whether any organised network facilitated their movement.
“The route they used and the persons involved are being verified. We expect to gather more information during police remand,” Deb said.
Police have recovered the accused persons’ personal belongings, including mobile phones, which are also being examined as part of the investigation.
Inspector Deb confirmed that all eight arrested persons are male. The investigation is continuing to ascertain the full extent of the alleged infiltration network and identify others who may have been involved.
