Two young males from Bangladesh were reportedly shot and killed by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) on Wednesday while attempting to enter into the neighboring country near Tetulia upazila in Panchagarh.
The deceased were named as 23-year-old Yeasin Ali, son of Ketab Ali, and 24-year-old Abdul Jalil, son of Jhunu Miah, both from the district`s Sadar upazila.
According to locals, the incident took place early in the morning in the Khoykhat area near the border, when the youths were allegedly attempting to smuggle animals from India.
According to villagers, BSF forces stationed at the Fakirpara camp opened fire after they saw people cutting over a barbed wire barrier.
Following the incident, the bodies were discovered on Bangladeshi territory. When local villagers saw the situation, they immediately notified the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and police.
Sujoy Kumar Roy, Officer-in-Charge of Tetulia Model Police Station, stated that the victims` families reported that BSF forces had removed their bodies from Bangladeshi land.
Lt Col Zubayed Hasan, commander of the BGB-18 unit, stated that they learnt of two Bangladeshi youngsters` deaths but that no formal complaints had been filed by their relatives.
Both the para-military forces of two sides were preparing for a flag-meeting, he added.