Bangladesh border guards arrested 18 Indian youths during a raid on a house and seized weapons and ammunition, a media report on Tuesday said.
The Daily Star reported that the men were nabbed on Monday after the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) personnel raided the house of a local politician in Tipra village close to Satchchari on Bangladesh's border with India's Tripura state.
It said two guns, six bullets, three daggers and some military uniforms were recovered from the house.
The politician, identified as Jogesh Barman, is an uncle of Ashish Dev Barman, the absconding owner of a truck the police seized last year with a large quantity of ammunition and explosives.
The Indians who were in the house when the BDR personnel stormed it failed to explain their presence in Bangladesh, the report said.
On interrogation, the men, who made no attempt to escape at the time of the raid, said they had crossed the border to visit relatives but did not possess any travel documents. Indian currency worth Rs.220 and Bangladesh taka 2,200 was recovered from them.
Cases had been filed against them for entering the country illegally and for possessing firearms, the report added.
Intelligence officials were investigating whether the youths, aged between 15 and 20, have any links with Indian insurgent groups or were part of a gang involved in smuggling of arms and ammunition.
{{/usCountry}}Intelligence officials were investigating whether the youths, aged between 15 and 20, have any links with Indian insurgent groups or were part of a gang involved in smuggling of arms and ammunition.
{{/usCountry}}The arrested men, all from Tripura, were identified as Budiram (19), Paldev Barma (15), Pingnai Dev Barma (20), Ashin Dev Barma (15), Bimal Dev Barma (15), Dibesh Dev Barma (18), Bolon Dev Barma (15), Rakesh Dev Barma (18), Sardev Barma (18), Dev Barma (17), Sonesh Dev Barma (18), Baitan Tripura (19), Sajar Dev Barma (16) Yamap Dev Barma (20), Bakar Dev Barma (20), Salek Dev Barma (18), Bimal Dev Barma (18), and Bokal Dev Barma (17).