The police in Manipur have said that Rohingya refugees, displaced from Myanmar’s Rakhine region, are increasingly entering India through human trafficking corridors along the West Bengal-Bangladesh border.
More than 300,000 Rohingya have fled from Myanmar and taken refuge in Bangladesh.
The Manipur police came to know about the trafficking routes after the arrest of eight Rohingya in Imphal on Monday. The eight had fake Aadhaar cards in their possession.
Of the eight, Md. Younus and Md. Anwar had arrived in Manipur last week. Md. Ismail followed them with five minors, travelling from West Bengal to Guwahati by train and to Imphal by road.
While Younus and Anwar took refuge in Bangladesh three years ago, Ismail fled Rakhine last year. A Bangladeshi agent helped them to enter India.
“A series of drives against illegal immigrants led to the arrest of several Rohingya from the (India-Myanmar) border town of Moreh, Tengnoupal and Imphal during the past few months,” Manipur DGP L.M. Khaute said.
The police are also examining the involvement of local agents after the arrested Rohingya said a Bangladeshi agent, Md. Ayub, had helped them cross over to Bengal. Ayub’s wife Sultana is a resident of Imphal, and the police said she arranged the stay of the immigrants.
The Manipur police had arrested nine Rohingya last week. They had fake Aaadhaar cards prepared by two Moreh-based locals who were later arrested.
