A 35-year-old man from Assam’s Sribhumi district who went missing near the India-Bangladesh border has been detained in Bangladesh, where the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has accused him of illegal entry and smuggling drugs and arms.
The man has been identified as Balai Namasudra, a resident of Gobindapur village in Sribhumi district. According to the BGB, he was detained in the Kumarshail border area of Barlekha upazila in Bangladesh’s Moulvibazar district on August 27.
The development came after Balai was reported missing by his family in Assam.
Assam Man Was Reportedly Fishing Near Border
According to Balai’s wife, Mamata Namasudra, her husband regularly went fishing near the border pillar.
She said Balai left home at around 5:30 am on Thursday to collect fish from a net he had placed in the area the previous evening. He did not return home, leading his family to report him missing.
Mamata later received a WhatsApp call from someone in Bangladesh. The caller allegedly told her that Balai had been caught after entering Bangladesh illegally and asked her to send copies of his voter ID, Aadhaar card and passport.
According to Mamata, she shared the documents through WhatsApp after being told that Balai would be sent back following basic documentation.
BGB Alleges Drug And Arms Smuggling
The Border Guard Bangladesh has given a different account of the incident.
According to the BGB, Balai was caught during a special operation in the Kumarshail border area. The Bangladeshi border force alleged that he had illegally entered the country and was involved in smuggling drugs and arms.
The BGB claimed that its personnel recovered a foreign-made pistol, two rounds of .22-bore ammunition and 500 Yaba tablets from him.
Yaba is a methamphetamine-based drug that is widely trafficked in parts of South and Southeast Asia.
The allegations made by the BGB are yet to be independently established.
Indian Police Coordinate With BSF
Following the missing-person complaint, police in Assam began investigating Balai’s disappearance.
Sribhumi Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) Trinayan Bhuyan said police reached the area and started looking into the matter. Since the incident occurred outside the border fencing, Indian authorities coordinated with the Border Security Force (BSF).
The investigation is continuing as Indian authorities seek more information about how Balai crossed into Bangladesh and the circumstances surrounding his detention.
Earlier Similar Case In Assam Village
The incident has also brought back memories of a similar case from the same village.
According to local residents, around eight years ago, another Gobindapur resident, Binanda Namasudra, was detained by the BGB in a similar incident. He reportedly spent about a year in Bangladesh before being released.
The latest case has once again highlighted the risks faced by residents living and fishing close to the India-Bangladesh border.
For now, Balai remains in Bangladesh custody, while the allegations of illegal entry, drug smuggling and possession of arms are being looked into by the authorities.
