900 Suspected Illegal Migrants Caught In Over 2 Years: Northeast Frontier Railways

In a significant development, the Northeast Frontier Railways said over 900 suspected illegal immigrants have been detained at railway stations under its jurisdiction.

Most of them were caught in the northeast region, north Bengal, and parts of Bihar in the last two and a half years, said Kapiljal Kishore Sarma, chief public relations officer of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR).

According to NFR, between 2022 and 2025, over 900 detentions have taken place.

NFR officials said the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel have been now specially trained to detect and handle cases related to illegal immigrants.

"In the last year alone, the number of such detentions has increased. Our investigations reveal that many of them enter through porous borders such as Sonamura in Tripura or the Meghalaya sector," the PRO said.

"Human trafficking agents are often involved in facilitating such illegal crossings for money. We have busted several such networks and caught more than 15 agents in the past three-four months."

Security forces have been monitoring railway stations and trains constantly for suspicious activity, particularly individuals lacking proper documentation or displaying suspicious behaviour.

With support from the BSF, in the railway facilities in border areas, the Indian Railways have conducted multiple joint operations in the northeast and north Bengal to check illegal infiltration via railway routes.