KOLKATA: The Border Security Force (BSF) arrested two Bangladeshi nationals for illegally fishing on the Indian side of River Padma in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal. An engine-fitted country boat (EFCB) was also seized.
“The incident occurred nearly 1 km inside Indian territory. Troops from the Kakmarichar Border Outpost, who were out on routine patrol, spotted four persons on two EFCBs fishing in Indian waters, ” said N K Pandey, DIG and spokesperson, BSF, South Bengal Frontier.
He added that on being challenged, two of them fled in one of the boats towards Bangladesh.
He said that the BSF jawans acted swiftly and succeeded in apprehending the remaining two Bangladeshi nationals and seized their boat.
“The men along with the boat were taken to Kakmarichar BOP. During interrogation, the two Bangladeshis identified themselves as Manik Uddin and Mufijul Sk. They are residents of Chok Mukhtarpur in the Rajshahi district of Bangladesh. The two confessed that they deliberately entered Indian waters, hoping for a better catch, ” DIG Pandey said.
He added that the BSF handed the two to the Sagarpara police station for further legal proceedings, adding that measures are also being taken to prevent such incidents from taking place in the future.
DIG Pandey said that the incident took place at a time when five Indian boatmen and two EFCBs were in Bangladesh’s custody.
“The BSF hired EFCBs on August 17 to recover cattle that were being smuggled to Bangladesh across River Ganga in the Malda district of West Bengal. During the operation, one of the boats suffered an engine failure and started drifting towards Bangladesh. The other EFCB attempted to tow it back but got caught in the heavy flow of water. Both the boats and the five boatmen were apprehended by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), ” DIG Pandey said.
He said that despite repeated requests from the BSF, the BGB refused to return the men or the boats, even after being told that they were being used for anti-smuggling operations.
“Despite rising water levels in the River Padma, our patrol units continue to maintain round-the-clock surveillance, ” DIG Pandey added.