Bangladeshi Man Detained In Assam After Crossing Border To Meet Family

A 42-year-old Bangladeshi man was detained in Assam's Hailakandi district after he entered India without valid travel documents to meet his wife and daughter, police said on Tuesday.

The man, identified as Sahed Ahmed, is a resident of Rasulpur village under Zakiganj Police Station in Bangladesh's Sylhet district.

According to Hailakandi Superintendent of Police Amitabh Sinha, Ahmed was picked up during a police operation on July 5 from Palaichhara Part II under Jamira Police Outpost. The operation was launched after police received specific intelligence about his presence in the area.

During preliminary questioning, investigators found that Ahmed is suspected to have crossed the India-Bangladesh border through an unauthorised route in neighbouring Sribhumi district before making his way to Hailakandi.

Police said Ahmed's wife, who is from Hailakandi, has been living in Assam with their daughter for the past two-and-a-half years. The couple reportedly met around eight years ago while working in Meghalaya. They later got married and stayed there for some time before Ahmed returned to Bangladesh.

Investigators said the woman had also lived with Ahmed in Bangladesh for a short period after their marriage but retained her Indian citizenship. She eventually returned to her parental home in Hailakandi along with their daughter, where they have been residing ever since.

During interrogation, Ahmed allegedly told police that he had crossed into India to meet his family and wanted to take his wife and daughter back with him to Bangladesh.

Police are now trying to establish the exact route he used to enter the country and whether anyone assisted him in crossing the international border. Officials are also looking into whether the incident is linked to any organised network or was an isolated case.

Ahmed is currently in police custody, and further legal action will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation, police said.