Within 24-hours of issuing directives for effective steps to stop all illegal activities on the Indo-Bangladesh border by Chief Minister after sudden spurt in infiltration, Tripura police has arrested 25 Rohingyas including six women and seven children in two different places of North Tripura district before they boarded buses to first go to Guwahati then to Hyderabad by train in search of jobs.

The alarming human trafficking and rises of  infiltration by Bangladesh nationals and Rohingyas in different parts of Tripura, specially their detention from Agartala railway station before their movement toward other parts of the country, the Chief Minister on Thursday called a meeting with top BSF, police authorities in presence of Chief Secretary and issued directives for effective steps to stop all illegal activities on the Indo-Bangladesh border.

Official sources said that Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha asked the authorities despite strong barbed wire fencing along the India-Bangladesh border and deployment of a large number of BSF jawans, how the infiltration is rampantly going on along with smuggling. He also issued stern warning over dereliction in duties of border guards, which has directly affected internal security of the country.

But, again on Thursday midnight, North Tripura district police arrested 25 Rohingyas before their boarding to a Guwahati bound bus.

Police sources said that have arrested 25 Rohingyas including six women and seven children in two different places of North Tripura district before they boarded buses to first go to Guwahati then to Hyderabad by train in search of jobs, officials said on Friday.

A police official said that 25 Rohingyas were separately arrested from a bus stand at Dharmanagar and Churaibari gate in North Tripura district on Thursday night.

The detainees told the police that they entered Tripura from Bangladesh through Sonamura border in Sepahijala district and Kailashahar in Unakoti district and intended to go to Guwahati by bus and then to Hyderabad by train in search of jobs.

There are no valid documents with the Rohingyas, who have left their camps in Bangladesh in Cox's Bazar before illegally entering into India with the help of some touts, a police official said.

In the recent month, infiltration into Tripura from Bangladesh increased with around 94 Bangladeshi nationals, including women and children, were arrested at Agartala railway station during the past one and half months.

The Bangladeshi citizens told the security personnel that they came to Tripura illegally to go to Delhi or other cities of India by train in search of jobs.

The Border Security Force (BSF) official said that they arrested 112 Rohingyas and 337 Bangladeshi nationals in different operations last year while 59 Rohingyas and 150 Bangladeshi nationals were detained in 2022.

More than one million displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar since 2017 are living in Cox's Bazar, some 300 km southeast of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

In view of rising infiltration from Bangladesh into Tripura, Chief Minister Manik Saha has asked the BSF to tighten vigil along the 856 km International Border.

On Thursday night held a meeting with top BSF and police officials and asked them to maintain strict vigil along the border and to take appropriate steps to prevent the infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals into Indian territory.

CM Dr Saha has also expressed concern over the recent rise in the infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals into Indian territory. He directed the concerned officials to take stringent action against those involved in providing shelter and facilitating illegal border crossings.