1045 foreign infiltrators held in Tripura since January 2024: Police

AGARTALA: A total of 1,045 foreign nationals, including over 700 Bangladeshis, were arrested for infiltration in Tripura from January last year till February this year, police said.

A total of 738 Bangladeshi nationals, 71 Rohingyas and one Nigerian were arrested last year while 78 Bangladeshi nationals, 8 Rohingyas and one Nigerian were arrested this year (till February).

The northeast state shares 856 km of border with Bangladesh, second only to West Bengal. While most parts of the border in Tripura have been covered by barbed wire fencing, parts of it in different patches are still unfenced due to local disputes.

In July last year, chief minister Manik Saha, who is also in charge of the Home Department, held a meeting with top officials of all security agencies operating in the state including BSF, CRPF, Assam Rifles, state police and intelligence officials, and asked them to maintain a tight vigil across the border and take strict action against any infiltrators.

Subsequently, a series of coordinated efforts have resulted in the arrest of several foreign nationals, and touts or human traffickers involved in their illegal migration.