Cricket lovers are not concerned about boundaries, it seems. A 31-year-old Bangladesh youth Md Ibrahim illegally entered India on April 15 so that he could visit Mumbai to watch the IPL matches.
Ibrahim, however, was apprehended by the vigilant troops of the Border Out Post, Ramghat and 68 Battalions, and his dream of watching a live IPL match went for a six. This resident of Purva Chandpur in Narayanganj district of Bangladesh was sent back home by the BSF.
According to SS Guleria, DIG, BSF, during interrogation, Ibrahim confessed that he is an ardent cricket fan and was on his way to Mumbai to watch IPL cricket matches. Further, he revealed that he had given 5,000 Bangladeshi Taka (which works out to be ₹4,415) to a broker named Anisul for crossing the international boundary.
In a gesture of goodwill, India handed over the apprehended Bangladeshi youth to the Border Guard Bangladesh.
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The Border Security Force (BSF) has been undertaking strict measures to prevent infiltration along the complex Indo-Bangladesh border, which is 4,095 km long and traverses five states of India – West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. According to the press release issued by Guleria, sometimes, the BSF gauges the seriousness of the crime of the offender and like in the case of Ibrahim, hands them over to Bangladesh in a spirit of cooperation and goodwill.
Earlier, on April 12, troops of Border Out Post Kedaripara and Harishchandra Pur, 159 Battalion posted in the south Bengal Frontier area had apprehended two Bangladeshi nationals from Nagaon district, who had crossed the International Border and entered the Indian territory. The apprehended Bangladeshi national were identified as Mamoon Rashid, (32 years) and Mohammad Arif Islam (18 years).
During interrogation, Mamoon Rashid revealed that he had inadvertently entered India, while Arif Islam had wanted to visit a local fair. They had no prior criminal history or any record of crossing the border illegally, hence they were handed back to the Border Guard Bangladesh on humanitarian grounds, said the release.