Suspended Bangladeshi Police Officer Caught by BSF While Trying to Enter India

 Kolkata: A senior Bangladeshi police officer, who has been suspended for remaining absent in duty for months, was caught by the Border Security Force (BSF) on Saturday evening after he tried to enter India illegally through North 24 Parganas in West Bengal across the border in an escape bid.

The accused, Mohammad Arifuzzaman, went into hiding in wake of Nobel Laureate Mohammad Yusuf formed an interim government following the fall of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s regime in Bangladesh in August last year.

Mr Arifuzzaman is the assistant superintendent of police of the Armed Police Battalion-2 at Muktagacha in Mymensingh. He earlier served as the assistant commissioner of police in charge of the Rangpur Metropolitan Police.

Recently, the Bangladesh ministry of home affairs suspended him for remaining absent in duty in his last posting since October 14 last year without his higher authorities’ permission.

Mr Arifuzzaman was caught by the troops of the BSF 143 battalion between 6 pm and 7 pm on Saturday when he tried to infiltrate through Bithari under the Hakimpur border outpost at Swarupnagar in Basirhat taking advantage of the monsoon rain.

He was later handed over to the Swarupnagar police station where he was arrested under the Foreigners Act. Several documents including his service ID were recovered from him also.

During interrogation by the cops, Mr Arifuzzaman revealed his identity and told them that he is a resident of Sahipara at Nilphamari district under Rangpur division. In the recent past, he had lived in Satkhira district for nearly seven months after going underground to save his life.

On Sunday, the Bangladeshi cop was remanded by the Basirhat Court in jail custody for 14 days. The Indian authorities have informed their Bangladeshi counterparts about his arrest.

The incident is not an exception as several Bangladeshi politicians from Awami League and their loyalists the police department fled in fear after the change in power in their country and have taken shelter in Kolkata and its neighbouring areas.