12 Bangladeshis, including 3 children, found in Assam; trafficking angle suspected

Twelve Bangladeshi nationals, including three children, were apprehended in Assam's Goalpara district after allegedly entering India illegally. Investigators suspect a trafficking network that lured them with promised jobs and moved them through Meghalaya and Guwahati.Assam shares a 267.5-km international border with Bangladesh across the districts of Sribhumi, Cachar, Dhubri and South Salmara-Mankachar. (Representative image)Guwahati,Oct 11, 2026 14:56 ISTAssam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said 12 Bangladeshi nationals, including three children, were apprehended in Goalpara district for allegedly entering India illegally, with authorities suspecting a possible human trafficking and illegal migration network.In a social media post on Saturday night, Sarma said the group was spotted on Friday night by a local resident who noticed them wandering around and crying in panic.The group, comprising nine adults and three children, told authorities they had entered India through Meghalaya’s Jaflong on October 5 with the help of a broker named Sabor, Sarma said.According to the Chief Minister, a Khasi man accompanying the broker took them to Guwahati, where they were kept for three days. The broker allegedly fled near Guwahati railway station after taking 7,000 Bangladeshi Taka and a mobile phone from the group. The group later travelled by bus to Goalpara on Friday night, where they were spotted by the local resident, Sarma said.The broker had allegedly shown them video calls with other Bangladeshi nationals working at a company in Guwahati and promised them jobs, the Chief Minister said. He added that the company owner was supposed to pay Rs 20,000 for each of the nine adults, with the amount to be adjusted against their wages."A human trafficking and illegal migration angle is suspected. Authorities are investigating further," Sarma said.He added that the apprehended individuals would be dealt with under the law and warned that authorities would track down those who allegedly helped them enter and settle in India.Assam shares a 267.5-km international border with Bangladesh across the districts of Sribhumi, Cachar, Dhubri and South Salmara-Mankachar.An integrated check post (ICP) is located at Sutarkandi in Sribhumi. The Northeast has three ICPs along the India-Bangladesh border, with the other two at Dawki in Meghalaya and Akhaura in Tripura. Another ICP is located at Darranga in Assam along the India-Bhutan border.Assam Police has previously said that the state force and the Border Security Force (BSF) would take all possible measures to prevent infiltration from Bangladesh.- Ends