A 42-year-old Bangladeshi national has been arrested in Assam’s Hailakandi district on charges of illegally entering the country to meet his wife and daughter, police said on Tuesday.
The man, identified by police as Shahid Ahmed from Bangladesh’s Sylhet district, married an Indian national whom he met in Meghalaya eight years ago, police said. His wife and their daughter had been living in Hailakandi for two and a half years.
“He entered India illegally and was arrested on July 5. We are investigating the route he used, the purpose of his visit and whether anyone helped him cross the border,” said Amitabh Sinha, Senior Superintendent of Police, Hailakandi.
The preliminary investigation revealed that Ahmed entered the country through the Sribhumi district in the state of Assam and was arrested during an operation carried out by the Jumeirah Police in the Balishehara district, Part Two, after intelligence inputs.
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“The woman accompanied Ahmed to Bangladesh for a while after their marriage, but never renounced her Indian citizenship. She later returned to Hailakandi, where she lives with their daughter,” the SSP said.
Ahmed told the police that he intended to take his family with him to Bangladesh.
Ahmed is currently in custody and is being interrogated to ascertain the exact circumstances of his entry into India, police said.
“Legal measures will be taken according to the results of the investigation. We are investigating all aspects of the case,” an official said.
Police are also investigating whether others were involved in facilitating the alleged illegal cross-border movement.
