Two Bangladesh Police personnel detained by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) along the Cumilla border were brought back to Bangladesh on Friday, around 15 hours after their detention.
Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Imran Hossain and Constable Rohit Dewan of Brahmanpara Police Station were handed over to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) during a flag meeting near Main Border Pillar No. 2059 along the Shashidal border in Brahmanpara upazila at 1:35pm on Friday.
The meeting was held between BGB’s Sultanpur Battalion (60 BGB) and BSF’s 49th Battalion at the battalion commander level following communication between the two forces.
The BGB subsequently handed the two officers over to Bangladesh Police, said Brahmanpara Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Faruk Hossain.
According to police sources, a team of police personnel went to the Ashabari area of Shashidal Union around 10:30pm on Thursday to conduct an anti-drug operation near border pillar No. 2059.
During the operation, the police members, travelling in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw, spotted a suspected drug trader and chased him. At one point, Constable Rohit Dewan inadvertently crossed the border into Indian territory.
Local residents in India detained him and handed him over to the BSF, police sources said. When ASI Imran Hossain went to secure his colleague’s release, he was also detained.
Senior police and BGB officials contacted the relevant Indian authorities from Thursday night to arrange the return of the two police personnel.
OC Faruk Hossain said discussions to secure their release had been underway since Thursday night.
He said the policemen were handed over to the Bangladesh delegation in the presence of senior police and BGB officials.
