Kolkata, June 3: The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) apprehended a Bangladeshi national attempting to enter India at the India-Nepal border in the North Bengal region of West Bengal. Although he possessed an Indian visa, it had expired long ago.
The arrested individual has been identified as 36-year-old Mohammad Mukhtar Hussain, a resident of Madan Mohanpur in the Nawabganj district of Dhaka, Bangladesh. SSB personnel from the 41st Battalion caught him at the BIT check post in Ranidanga while he was trying to cross into India via the Old Bridge.
According to SSB officials, during interrogation, Hussain presented his Bangladeshi passport, which contained an expired Indian visa. Investigations revealed that he had entered India through the Haridaspur Integrated Check Post (ICP) on August 30, 2023, and his visa expired on September 23, 2023. Despite this, he had been residing in Kolkata’s New Market area.
Officials reported that after living in Kolkata for nearly a year, Hussain met an agent who promised to send him to Europe via Nepal and secure employment there. With the agent’s assistance, he illegally crossed the India-Nepal border and reached Nepal. Hussain claimed he was unaware of the exact location from which he crossed the border.
Once in Nepal, he worked as a welder for about a year and a half. During this time, the agent who had taken his money became unreachable, failing to fulfill the promise of sending him to Europe.
During questioning, Hussain stated that he intentionally chose to enter India and surrender to security agencies, hoping to be legally repatriated to Bangladesh. He mentioned that while in Nepal, his mother informed him about ongoing actions against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India, which prompted him to consider surrendering.
Reports indicate that on Tuesday, he traveled by bus from Kathmandu to Kakadbhitta and attempted to enter India on foot via the Old Bridge at Panitanki on Wednesday when he was apprehended.
Following a joint interrogation, Hussain was handed over to the Khoriabari police station. A case has been registered against him under relevant sections of the Foreigners Act and the Passport Act.
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