A father and his four daughters were caught on Saturday attempting to return to Bangladesh through illegal routes. The daughters had been living in India with fake Indian identity cards.

However, their plan failed as they were arrested by the Bongaon police before crossing the border. According to police and local sources, the four daughters, Asma Mridha, Punni Mridha, Riya Mridha, and Aliza Qureshi, had crossed into India illegally a few years ago. They had settled in Delhi and even managed to obtain fake Indian identity cards. Among the four sisters, one was married and had a child. The political atmosphere in Bangladesh has been tense, with incidents of Hindu persecution coming to light. The India-Bangladesh border has also seen heightened pressure due to militant infiltration. Arrests of infiltrators from various parts of India have been reported. Meanwhile, tensions have flared between the BSF and BGB over border fencing in areas like Malda and Cooch Behar. Against this backdrop, Nannu Mridha, the father, had recently crossed into India illegally to take his daughters back to Bangladesh. He accompanied them from Delhi to Bongaon with plans to cross the border.

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On Saturday morning, the five were spotted near the Bongaon-Bagda road, raising suspicion among locals, who alerted the police. Upon interrogation, several inconsistencies were found in their statements. The identity documents recovered from them are suspected to be fake. They were arrested and taken to the police station. During questioning, Nannu Mridha admitted that their home was in the Nalcity police station area of Jhalokati district in Bangladesh. He had entered India through illegal routes to take his daughters back. The police have launched an investigation based on their statements. They are also looking into where the four women had been living in Delhi. The accused were presented before the Bongaon court later in the day.