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31 Myanmar nationals held

KOLKATA: Thirty-one persons stated to be Myanmar nationals, on their way to Jammu and Kashmir, were arrested by Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel at the Kolkata station, here on Wednesday, for travelling without proper documents.

Sources in the Eastern Railway said the persons (25 men, 4 women and 3 children) were about to board the Jammu Tawi Express when the RPF personnel intercepted them. “On interrogating them, it was revealed that they had come from Myanmar through Bangladesh and were on their way to Kashmir in search of work. They did not have any passport or visa permit,” said an Eastern Railway spokesperson.

An Indian, said to be a tout, was among those apprehended. The arrests come at a time when the State has been put on high alert following inputs from intelligence agencies about the possibility of militants sneaking into the State through Bangladesh.

Arun Jyoti, Senior Security Commissioner of RPF, told The Hindu that on interrogation, it was learnt that the 31 people were a part of a bigger group which crossed the international border a few days ago. Nearly 50 more were still at a North 24 Parganas district hideout near the border.

“Prima facie, they do not appear to be terrorists but we are probing all angles. We have sent a team to look out for the others in the group and the touts at Basirhat,” Mr. Jyoti said.

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