Assam police on Wednesday (8 November) said that a total of 47 middlemen or touts were apprehended from the entire country for their role in the illegal immigration of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis into India. They were caught from various states and taken into custody in a nationwide operation conducted by the Assam Police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Special Director General of Police (Admn./Border) Harmeet Singh said that an operation was launched to nab the facilitators of illegal immigration after a group of Rohingyas travelling from Tripura to Assam were caught in February this year. Following this, police increased the vigil along the Indo-Bangladesh border and thwarted the attempt of over 450 illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas to enter India with the help of the Border Security Force (BSF).
The 47 touts were arrested early morning today in raids conducted simultaneously in several states by Assam Police and NIA. 25 people from Tripura, 9 from Karnataka, 5 from Assam, 3 from each of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu and 1 from each of Haryana and Telangana have been taken into custody thus far. A special flight has been used to transport the arrested middlemen to Guwahati.
Harmeet Singh said, “Noticed a group of Rohingyas who were travelling in a train from Tripura and had entered Assam. 450 such illegal infiltrators were stopped and turned back with the help of border guarding forces. There was an operation launched by STF (Special Task Force) Assam in July.”
#WATCH | Guwahati: Special DGP, Assam, Harmeet Sigh says, "Noticed a group of Rohingyas who were travelling in a train from Tripura and had entered Assam…450 such illegal infiltrators were stopped and turned back with the help of border guarding forces. There was an operation… pic.twitter.com/MoDIhoBreL
— ANI (@ANI) November 8, 2023
He pointed out that it became very evident after questions and investigations that this is an issue with implications for interstate relations and national security and noted that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma played a key role in the operation. “From day one the matter has been looked at and guided by our Chief Minister and the highest formations of the land were wise to decide that the case be sent to NIA and the Government of Assam requested the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India to transfer one of these cases to the NIA. The NIA took up the case and began an investigation.”
The senior official highlighted, “There’s been a collaborative effort of the NIA with us and in this collaborative effort, we were able to put together a list of touts from across the country. Today morning in the wee hours an operation was launched across many states by the NIA with the Assam Police and a total of 47 such touts and middlemen who were running this racket have been caught.”
He proclaimed that the NIA received assistance from the Assam Police teams and all operations were run in association with the local state police at different places. “Our teams are physically on the ground in Assam, Tripura and in Northern India. Assam Police has 17 teams on the ground.”
The procedure started in February of this year, according to Assam Police sources when a group of Rohingyas were discovered at the Karimganj Railway Station in Assam while travelling illegally by train. Afterwards, police stepped up their surveillance along the Bangladesh-India border and with the assistance of the Border Security Force (BSF) prevented over 450 illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas from seeking to enter India.
It was discovered that a vast network of touts or middlemen was aiding the admission of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis into India illegally throughout the course of this operation and the questioning of various illegals. Ten intermediaries were first captured by the Special Task Force (STF) of the Assam Police.
However, when it became clear that the system was dispersed throughout India, the NIA and the Assam Police worked together to pursue the case. Following careful planning, the NIA and Assam Police along with other State Police Forces launched a national operation in the wee hours of 8 November and nabbed 47 touts till now.
