Agartala, Jan 6 (NationPress) The Government Railway Police (GRP) has detained 35 individuals involved in human trafficking over the past five months in Tripura for assisting the unlawful entry of Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas into India, officials stated on Monday.

An official mentioned that all 35 traffickers were Indian citizens, apprehended by the GRP from various locations within Tripura during this timeframe.

On Sunday evening, GRP personnel, supported by Border Security Force (BSF) troops, captured five additional traffickers in Konaban, situated in Sepahijala district.

Since August 1, the GRP has also arrested over 115 Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas at the Agartala railway station and other sites.

The BSF and the Tripura state police have independently arrested numerous traffickers from various regions across Tripura.

In the last five months, approximately 600 Bangladeshi nationals and more than 63 Rohingyas have been detained by the GRP, along with other security entities and the Tripura Police, from the Agartala railway station and different locations after entering India unlawfully.

Last year, the BSF alone apprehended 55 Rohingya migrants, 620 Bangladeshi nationals, and 260 Indian nationals, including human traffickers, through various operations.

Following the unrest in Bangladesh that began in July, particularly after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5, the influx into India's northeastern states has significantly surged.

Upon arrest, the detained Bangladeshis and Rohingyas informed security officials that their objective was to reach major metropolitan areas and other locations in India in search of employment.

Many Rohingyas fled camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, where over one million displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar have resided since 2017.

A BSF representative stated that following the unrest in Bangladesh from June to July, the border protection force has intensified its operations along the 856 km India-Bangladesh border in Tripura to curb infiltration, exfiltration, and cross-border crimes, including the smuggling of contraband.

The BSF has successfully thwarted numerous infiltration attempts by hundreds of Bangladeshi nationals, which include both Hindus and Muslims.