Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained 16 individuals, including women and children, on Wednesday morning for illegally entering Bangladesh from India via the Atgram border in Zakiganj upazila of Sylhet.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Zubayer Anwar, commanding officer of BGB Battalion 19, a patrol team apprehended the group around 8 am.
The detainees include eight men, six women, and two children, aged between approximately 5 and 55 years.
BGB officials reported that the individuals claimed to be Bangladeshi citizens but admitted to residing in India without legal documentation for an extended period.
Following a tip-off, BGB heightened surveillance in the border area, leading to the arrest of the group as they attempted to cross into Bangladesh illegally through Atgram.
A BGB spokesperson said, “Preliminary questioning is ongoing. We are verifying how they entered India, how they sustained themselves there, and the route they used to return. Legal action will be taken as appropriate.”
Sources from the BGB confirmed that surveillance was intensified in response to intelligence, resulting in the successful detention of the 16 individuals during their illegal border crossing.
They are currently undergoing initial investigation, and steps are underway to hand them over to the police for further legal proceedings.
