BSF Apprehends Bangladeshi National Amid Heightened Border Vigilance

The BSF apprehended an 18-year-old Bangladeshi national near the Changrabandha Border Outpost in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district, seizing a mobile phone. Anti-smuggling operations also led to significant contraband seizures. Amid unrest in Bangladesh, BSF has increased security along the border.

The Border Security Force (BSF) has apprehended an 18-year-old Bangladeshi national near the Changrabandha Border Outpost in the Cooch Behar district of West Bengal. The detained individual has been identified as Masud Rehman, who was reportedly trying to infiltrate India, officials confirmed on Thursday.

The incident occurred on August 21, 2024, at approximately 2205 hrs, when troops from the BOP Changrabanda under the Jalpaiguri Sector intercepted Rehman. A mobile phone was recovered from his possession, and he was subsequently handed over to PS Mekhliganj along with the seized device.

In a related development, anti-smuggling operations conducted by the BSF North Bengal Frontier from August 17 to 21, 2024, resulted in the confiscation of 19 cattle, 2555 bottles of Phensedyl, two kilograms of ganja, and other contraband items valued at Rs 9,38,548. These operations aim to prevent smuggling across the Indo-Bangladesh border.

The Bangladeshi national has been handed over to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). Earlier this month, on August 10, BSF troops, in collaboration with Meghalaya Police, apprehended seven Bangladeshi nationals and two Indian facilitators at a checkpoint. Owing to the ongoing unrest in Bangladesh, BSF Meghalaya has ramped up border security, adopting a multi-tier dominance strategy. All apprehended individuals have been transferred to the concerned police stations for further legal action, according to a BSF statement.

(With inputs from agencies.)