MALIGAON, May 25 (MExN): The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has apprehended a total of 38 individuals — including Bangladeshi nationals and their Indian handlers — as part of a continuing operation to curb illegal cross-border infiltration and trafficking through the railway network.
According to a statement issued by Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, the arrests were made in a series of coordinated operations across April and the first half of May 2025. The RPF, working in tandem with the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB), Border Security Force (BSF), and local Government Railway Police (GRP), conducted raids at vulnerable transit points including Agartala, Radhikapur, Bhanga, Dharmanagar, and Karimganj railway stations.
Between May 1 and May 16, RPF personnel apprehended six Bangladeshi nationals and six Indian agents in separate incidents. The most significant operation occurred on May 16 at Agartala railway station, where two Bangladeshi nationals — one male and one female — and four Indian accomplices were detained in a joint operation with SIB/Badarpur and BSF's Anti-Human Trafficking Unit.
In addition, earlier arrests were made at Agartala and Radhikapur railway stations, where four more Bangladeshi nationals and two Indian handlers were taken into custody. All individuals were handed over to local GRP outposts for prosecution under relevant provisions of the Railway Act.
In April, RPF/NFR had apprehended 32 Bangladeshi nationals and one Indian agent across multiple locations in Tripura and Assam, including Agartala, Bhanga, Dharmanagar, and Karimganj.
“These efforts are part of a sustained campaign to prevent the misuse of railway routes by illegal migrants and human traffickers,” the release stated, adding that RPF/NFR is committed to enhancing national security and public safety. Operations are being intensified in sensitive areas in collaboration with state and central security agencies.
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