Assam fisherman found in Bangladesh, BGB alleges drug, arms smuggling

The man, identified as Balai Namasudra, is a resident of Gobindapur village in Sribhumi district, which is located outside the border fencing

A 35-year-old man from Assam’s Sribhumi district, who went missing on Thursday morning near the India-Bangladesh border, was found in Bangladesh on Thursday night. The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Friday alleged that he was involved in drug and arms smuggling.

Balai Namasudra’s pictures were shared by the BGB, following which his family members recognised him. (HT Sourced Photo/BGB)

The man, identified as Balai Namasudra, is a resident of Gobindapur village in Sribhumi district, which is located outside the border fencing. He is a fisherman by profession, according to his family members.

Balai’s wife, Mamata Namasudra, said he used to go fishing near the border pillar every day. On Thursday morning, around 5.30am, he went there to collect fish from a net he placed the previous evening.

“Usually he returns in a few hours but on Thursday, he didn’t return until the afternoon, when we started searching for him and lodged a missing report at Sribhumi Sadar police station in the evening,” she said, adding that she was later told that her husband had been found in Bangladesh.

Mamata said that later on Thursday, someone from Bangladesh contacted her and asked for photocopies of Balai’s voter ID, Aadhaar card and, if possible, passport.

“The person told me that Balai had been caught in Bangladesh for entering illegally and would be sent back after basic documentation, for which these documents were important,” she said.

However, Balai remained untraced for several hours after that. Mamata said she tried contacting the number but received no response. She then went to the Latu police outpost near their village, but officials asked her to visit Sadar police station as the matter involved an international border.

On Saturday, Mamata told HT that she learnt the details of the allegations against her husband after someone showed her a social media post by the BGB about the arrest of an Indian man with drugs and a firearm. She recognised the man in the video as Balai.

“He is a common fisherman, we are Indians and we stay in a village outside Indian fencing. How can my husband get all these tablets and a pistol? He has been framed and I appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring my husband back,” she said.

According to the BGB, the Indian man was caught in the Kumarshail border area of Barlekha upazila in Moulvibazar on August 27. During a special operation, BGB personnel allegedly recovered a foreign-made pistol, two rounds of .22-bore ammunition and 500 Yaba tablets from him.

The BGB said a gang of smugglers from the Indian side entered Bangladesh and opened fire at security forces when confronted.

“The BGB members returned fire in self-defence, following which the smugglers attempted to flee the area. The BGB personnel chased them and managed to arrest one Indian smuggler,” the BGB said in a social media post on Friday.

It further said, “Based on preliminary interrogation and available information, the BGB suspects that the arrested man is linked to a border-based smuggling network and that the recovered firearms and drugs had been brought from India for supply in Bangladesh.”

The BGB also shared a video that showed Balai’s voter ID card and other personal documents and identified him as an Indian smuggler.

The allegations have not been independently established.

The additional superintendent of police (crime), Sribhumi, Trinayan Bhuyan, said on Saturday that after receiving the missing-person complaint, police reached the area and began investigating. However, since the area is outside the fencing, they coordinated with the Border Security Force (BSF).

“Several talks are happening and our senior officials are also involved. Since the missing person’s details surfaced on social media from Bangladesh, the matter will be discussed by the concerned authorities,” he said, adding that senior police officials had also visited Balai’s house.

Senior BSF officials said on Saturday that the BGB informed them on Friday about the arrest of an Indian man with Yaba tablets and a pistol and that talks between the two sides were underway.

“They have some allegations and we said that we must investigate before coming to any conclusion. We have informed our higher authorities about it and further talks will be happening,” a senior BSF official said.

When asked about the possibility of narcotics being smuggled through border areas where the BSF is active, the official said nothing had been established yet and the matter was under investigation. He added that in the past, some smugglers had used methods such as throwing packets from a distance and this possibility would also be considered as part of the investigation.

According to the BSF, Gobindapur is located outside the fencing on the Indian side, in an area known as the Zero Point. Eight to nine villages fall within the 150-metre area from the fencing, and their residents are Indian nationals.

“There were several attempts by the government to bring them this side of the fencing but things did not work somehow and these issues continue,” a senior BSF official said.

Earlier this year, two Indians were allegedly kidnapped from the Zero Point along the Sribhumi-Cachar border, triggering protests in both Sribhumi and Cachar.