Border Security Force (BSF) of India pushed 18 people, including 17 Rohingya refugees and one Bangladeshi national, into Bangladesh through the Shahbazpur Tea Estate area under Barlekha upazila of Moulvibazar early Tuesday.
Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) from Battalion-52 apprehended the group after they entered Bangladeshi territory and later handed them over to Barlekha Police Station in the evening.
Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Ariful Haque Chowdhury, commanding officer of BGB-52, confirmed the development and said, “A total of 18 individuals were pushed into Bangladesh by BSF. We detained them inside our territory and handed them over to police after verifying their identities.”
Among those detained, one was a Bangladeshi male citizen. The remaining 17 were identified as Rohingya; four men, five women and eight children, who had previously crossed into India illegally at different times.
BGB officials said legal steps are being taken and local law enforcement is now handling the matter.
