Several Bangladeshi women, after crossing border illegally, have been working as rag pickers in Indian cities, a senior BSF official said today. The BSF has apprehended some Bangladeshi women recently as they were returning to Bangladesh illegally. Those apprehended women confessed before the BSF during interrogation, how they have frequently crossed the International border with the help of local touts and have earned their livelihood as rag pickers in various places in India. Acting on a tip off, troops of Border Outpost named Bheem of 6 Battalion BSF of North Bengal Frontier deployed the on Indo-Bangladesh border in Cooch Behar apprehended two Bangladeshi women last night.

They have been identified as residents of Ishwardi village under Pabna district and Parbatipur village in Dinajpur district. The BSF apprehended them while both the women were trying to cross the border illegally from India to Bangladesh to meet their relatives in Bangladesh. “Both were working as rag pickers in Jaipur in Rajasthan since 2016. One of them further revealed that they came to New Jalpaiguri Railway Station by train from Jaipur on 12 February. An Indian tout received them at New Jalpaiguri and brought them to a village to cross the border illegally. The Indian tout took Rs 10,000 from each to help them cross the border illegally,” the BSF said. On 2 February night, the 6 Battalion BSF posted at Border Outpost named Karan in Cooch Behar, apprehended two Bangladeshi women along with four minors, including one girl.

They have been identified as residents of Meru Gopalpur village under Lalpur police station in Rajshahi district of Bangladesh. According to the BSF, they were trying to cross border illegally from India to Bangladesh to meet their relatives. The apprehended Bangladeshi nationals revealed that they were staying somewhere in Jaipur in Rajasthan since many years and worked as rag pickers. The BSF apprehended another Bangladeshi national identified as Biswajit Roy (32), resident of Lalmonirhat district while he was trying to cross the border from India to Bangladesh last night.

The Bangladeshi national revealed that he was entered into India from Bangladesh illegally on 30 January 2024 through unfenced patches of Dahgram Angrapota enclaves. “Then, he visited Delhi and Kolkata to find out ways to reach the US or UK for livelihood. Now, he wanted to return to Bangladesh as he is suddenly suffering from some brain-related ailments and took treatment in the Apollo Hospital Chennai,” the BSF said.