Three Bangladeshis held in Murshidabad after border swim, fake ID racket
Synopsis
Two Bangladeshi men swam across the international border in Murshidabad to slip past the BSF — and were caught hiding in a village. A third had lived in West Bengal for 15 years using a forged Aadhaar and voter card, only unmasked when the SIR process struck his name from electoral rolls. Three arrests in one weekend expose the scale of the border-security challenge in one of India's most porous districts.
Key Takeaways
Dulal and Rashidul Islam , residents of Chapai Nawabganj, Bangladesh , were arrested in Ramnagar village, Lalgola , Murshidabad, on 27 September 2026 after swimming across the border.
The duo reportedly chose the water route specifically to avoid detection by the Border Security Force (BSF) at land crossing points.
Police are investigating whether the two have links to insurgency groups or were part of a larger organised network.
Johad Sheikh , from Shemaiah, Bangladesh , was arrested by Ranitala Police after living in West Bengal for 15 years on forged Aadhaar and voter card documents.
Sheikh's illegal status was uncovered only after his name was removed from the voter roll during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
All three are currently in custody; legal proceedings under immigration and document-fraud provisions are expected.
Three illegal Bangladeshi nationals were arrested in West Bengal's Murshidabad district on 27 September 2026, including two men who reportedly swam across the international border to evade the Border Security Force (BSF), police said. The arrests, made under Lalgola and Ranitala police stations, have renewed scrutiny over porous riverine stretches along the India-Bangladesh border in Murshidabad.
How the Border Swimmers Were Caught
The two swimmers, identified as Dulal and Rashidul Islam, are residents of Chapai Nawabganj district in Bangladesh. Acting on a tip-off from informants, Lalgola Police were alerted that the pair had entered India via the water route — deliberately avoiding land crossings where BSF surveillance is heavier — and had taken shelter at a residence in Ramnagar village under Lalgola Police Station.
A sudden raid-and-search operation at the village led to their arrest in the early hours of Sunday. No valid documents permitting their stay in India were recovered, and the two reportedly confessed to their illegal entry during interrogation.
'The cops are currently interrogating them on what desperation prompted them to cross the international waters by swimming. Attempts are on to extract from them whether they are part of any insurgency groups and whether there was a larger conspiracy behind their coming to the Indian side,' a police official said.
Third Arrest: Fake Documents and a Stolen Identity
In a separate but related development, Ranitala Police in Murshidabad arrested a third Bangladeshi national, identified as Johad Sheikh, late on Saturday. Sheikh had been living in West Bengal for 15 years after entering India from Shemaiah in Bangladesh. During that period, he married a local woman and fraudulently obtained a voter card and an Aadhaar card by listing his father-in-law as his father.
Sheikh's illegal status first came to light when his name was deleted from the voter list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) phase. A subsequent police investigation confirmed he was a Bangladeshi national. He had been absconding for a considerable period before his arrest and was sent to a holding centre on Sunday.
Pattern of Infiltration Along the Murshidabad Border
Murshidabad, which shares a lengthy riverine boundary with Bangladesh, has historically been identified as a vulnerability point for illegal crossings. The use of water routes to bypass BSF checkpoints is not a new tactic, but the combination of a swim-in and a document-fraud case surfacing in the same district on the same weekend points to a broader systemic challenge.
Notably, the Johad Sheikh case illustrates how institutional identity frameworks — Aadhaar, voter rolls — can be manipulated by exploiting family-relationship gaps in verification. The SIR process, which triggered the discovery, is being cited by officials as a functioning check, though critics argue such cases suggest the loopholes were exploited for over a decade before detection.
What Happens Next
All three individuals are currently being held and interrogated by police. Investigators are probing whether Dulal and Rashidul Islam have links to any insurgency or organised smuggling network. Johad Sheikh faces charges related to illegal stay and document fraud. Legal proceedings under relevant provisions of immigration and identity-fraud law are expected to follow, with authorities likely to coordinate with central agencies given the border-security dimension.
Point of View
And the country's identity infrastructure — Aadhaar, voter rolls — can apparently be gamed for over a decade before a periodic administrative review catches the anomaly. That the SIR process exposed Johad Sheikh is a credit to the system; that it took 15 years is an indictment of it. The swimming tactic by Dulal and Rashidul Islam also signals adaptive behaviour — infiltrators now treat BSF land patrols as the primary obstacle and the river as the path of least resistance. Without enhanced riverine surveillance and cross-database verification triggers, these cases will keep surfacing one at a time rather than being prevented at the point of entry.
NationPress
27 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How did the two Bangladeshis enter India in Murshidabad?
According to police, Dulal and Rashidul Islam swam across the international border to avoid detection by the Border Security Force, which primarily patrols land crossings. They were traced to a house in Ramnagar village under Lalgola Police Station and arrested on 27 September 2026.
Who is Johad Sheikh and why was he arrested?
Johad Sheikh is a Bangladeshi national from Shemaiah who entered India about 15 years ago, married a local woman, and obtained a voter card and Aadhaar card by falsely listing his father-in-law as his father. His illegal status came to light when his name was deleted from the voter roll during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, after which police confirmed his Bangladeshi origin and arrested him.
Are the arrested individuals suspected of links to militant groups?
Police have not confirmed any such links yet. According to a police official, investigators are actively questioning Dulal and Rashidul Islam to determine whether they are connected to insurgency groups or whether a larger conspiracy was involved in their crossing. Johad Sheikh faces charges related to illegal stay and document fraud.
Why is Murshidabad considered a vulnerable border district?
Murshidabad shares a long riverine boundary with Bangladesh, making it harder to monitor than land borders with fixed fencing. The water route has historically been exploited to bypass BSF checkpoints, and the district has repeatedly appeared in infiltration-related incidents, according to police records.
What action will be taken against the three arrested individuals?
All three are currently in police custody and being interrogated. Legal proceedings under immigration and identity-fraud provisions are expected. Authorities are also likely to coordinate with central agencies given the border-security implications of the cases.
