Kolkata, Sep 27 (IANS) The villagers in West Bengal caught two Bangladeshi nationals, who had entered the country illegally to see Durga Puja, the police said on Saturday.

Later, the two Bangladeshi nationals were handed over to the west Bengal Police.

The incident took place in Haldibari block of Cooch Behar district in north Bengal.

As the two Bangladeshi nationals had illegally entered the country after crossing the border, the residents of Parmekhliganj village living in the border area caught them.

The police were also informed.

According to local sources, on Friday night, a biker was taking advantage of the darkness and was heading towards Dewanganj from the open border of the Teesta river, carrying two people on a bike.

The villagers were suspicious as the biker and the riders were strangers.

Even after asking the duo to stop, they quickly rode away on their bikes.

The villagers also chased the bike.

Seeing the situation getting out of hand, the rider fled, leaving the two persons on the bike, as a result of which the villagers caught the two people.

A senior officer of Cooch Behar district police said, “After listening to their conversation, the villagers came to know that they were actually residents of Bangladesh. They had entered this country to see Durga Puja. After hearing everything, the villagers informed the Haldibari police station. After receiving the information, our officers reached the spot. The two Bangladeshis were arrested and the officers took them to the police station.”

According to police sources, the arrested persons have been identified as Dashrath Roy (27) and Kalidas Roy (50).

They are from Domar village in Nilphamari district of Bangladesh.

Several Indian currency notes and a mobile phone were recovered from the arrested persons.

The arrested persons underwent a medical examination at Haldibari Rural Hospital.

The court ordered four-day police custody when they were produced before the Mekhliganj Subdistrict Court on Saturday.

Meanwhile, lawyer and North Bengal coordinator of Hindu Jagran Manch, Panchali Dev Sikder Nag, spoke about the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh after this incident.

“We all know the tragic fate of Hindus in Bangladesh. Hindus in that country are not able to participate in Durga Puja. But India is safe for Hindus. They have illegally entered India out of passion. They have been arrested. But the Indian government has introduced the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). It has relaxed the rules for obtaining Indian citizenship. So our appeal is that if you are being persecuted, you should give up the citizenship of that country and apply to become a citizen according to the rules of India.”

–IANS

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