Nearly 100 Bangladeshi Nationals Held in Katigorah in One Month; 22 Nabbed Last Weekend

In a series of recurring incidents over the past month, nearly 100 suspected Bangladeshi nationals have been detained in the Katigorah Legislative Assembly constituency of Assam’s Cachar district. On Sunday alone, 14 suspected illegal immigrants, along with an infant, were caught by the locals while they were trying to cross the border and return back to Bangladesh after staying in India for several years. On Saturday as well, 7 people were handed over to the Katigorah Police on similar suspicion. Who are the local handlers helping in their illegal transit?

In the most recent case on Sunday night, five Bangladeshi nationals, Sajid Sheikh, Yasin Bilal Khan, Rahima Begum, Abdullah Bilal Khan, Sumaiya Begum, and a two-month-old infant were caught by alert locals in Bishambarpur village of West Katigorah.

The group claimed that they were originally from Gajirhat village in Khulna, Bangladesh, and had reportedly been living in Surat, Gujarat, for the past several years. They told police that after the Gujarat government recently intensified its crackdown on illegal immigrants, they decided to return to Bangladesh out of fear.

They reached Hilara Railway Station earlier on Sunday and arranged a vehicle through a local agent to cross into Bangladesh via Jalalpur. However, before they could proceed, villagers intercepted their vehicle and informed the police. Gumrah Police responded swiftly and took the group into custody. The Swift car they were travelling in and its driver, Kubad Uddin from Chandinagar in Katigorah, were also detained.

On the same day, another group of nine Bangladeshi nationals, including women and children, was similarly held by locals in Hilara while travelling in two auto-rickshaws. The detainees claimed they had entered India illegally several years ago and were also returning to Bangladesh after spending 5–6 years in Surat, Gujarat.

The frequency and similarity of these cases have sparked serious concerns about a well-established human trafficking and border-crossing network operating in the Barak Valley. Despite movement restrictions within a 5-kilometre radius of the international border with Bangladesh, these groups seem to be finding their way to border villages with relative ease.

“What is deeply worrying is not just the repeated illegal entry or exit, but the fact that local handlers or agents are clearly aiding this movement. Why is Cachar Police failing to apprehend them?” questioned a local resident.

With repeated arrests surfacing almost every week, the issue is no longer isolated. Residents and civil society groups are now calling for a thorough probe into the local network that facilitates such illegal crossings and for stricter surveillance along the sensitive border areas of Cachar.