KOCHI: Two Bangladeshi nationals were intercepted by the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) while attempting to board a flight at Kochi airport on Wednesday. The two were later handed over to the police who recorded their arrest after registering a case at Nedumbassery police station.
The arrested are Pranto Barua, 27, and Zitu Barua, 27, of Cox Bazar, Ukhariya. Police also arrested a West Bengal native Debojyothi Burman, 37, of Kolkata, who allegedly arranged travel documents and fake passports for them.
“Bangladeshi citizens were intercepted when they arrived at the airport for boarding a flight to Dubai around 3 am. They planned to travel to Serbia from Dubai. They were accompanied by a West Bengal native. Bangladeshi nationals were holding fake passports issued in the names of Pranto Biswas and Jitu Das. Following a suspicion BoI officials intercepted and interrogated them. In the questioning, they confessed that they were from Bangladesh,” an airport official said.
By around 4 am, BoI officials informed the matter to Nedumbassery police which took three persons into custody and shifted them to the police station. Later, the arrest of the accused was recorded. The accused were charged with a case under various sections of the IPC, Foreigners Act and Passport Act. The accused were produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody.
“We suspect that Debojyothi is an agent who provides fake passports to Bangladeshi nationals who illegally cross the border. We will approach the court seeking custody of the accused for conducting a detailed probe. It will be extended to West Bengal. Other agents who helped Bangladeshi natives have to be traced,” a police official said.
It is the fourth incident this year in which Bangladeshi nationals were arrested from the district. Muhammad Simbath Chaudary, of Rajapur, Bangladesh, who was illegally staying at North Paravur working as a scrap collector was arrested by the police on November 9. Four Bangladeshi nationals were arrested in August this year.