Assam: 26 Rohingyas travelling from Jammu detained in Silchar

Silchar: As many as 26 Rohingyas, including 12 children, from Myanmar who were travelling from Jammu were detained by police at Central Road in South Assam’s Silchar on Saturday.

As per reports, the Rohingyas were detained after they were found travelling without any valid documents.

Cachar Superintendent of Police Ramandeep Kaur said a police-patrolling team detained the Rohingyas around 2 am on Saturday night. “A police-patrolling team, around 2 am, noticed suspicious movement of a group of people including children at Central Road. They were all found to be travelling in three different cars. After being approached by the cops they could not provide any valid documents after which they were detained,” she said.

Kaur said that initial investigations had revealed that they had come to Guwahati via train on Saturday from Jammu.

“It has also been found during the initial probe that someone from Silchar had communicated with them over phone and asked them to come to Silchar. We are now investigating to find out details of the person who had asked them to come to Silchar. After a thorough probe we will know about their plans and intentions for coming to Silchar,” she said.

The SP said there were some agents in Cachar district‘s Katigorah area who help illegal migrants to enter Indian territory via the India-Bangladesh border areas and also provide fake documents to them. But that area where the illegal migrants used to cross the border has been sealed and such activities have stopped, she added.

“These 26 Rohingyas have been residing in Jammu and Kashmir for a long time. We are trying to find out why suddenly they travelled to Silchar and what is their actual motive,” the SP said.

A source in police said the 26 Myanmar nationals, comprising six men, eight women and 12 kids, were being quizzed at Silchar Sadar police station to find out more details about them and their plans of coming to Silchar.

Police, however, did not divulge much information on the matter.

Notably, Barak Valley has witnessed arrests of a number of Rohingyas in the past few months. Two Rohingyas were apprehended from a bus in Churaibari in Karimganj district on October 13, 2021. Besides, 15 Rohingyas, including three women and six minors, were also arrested by GRP officials at Badarpur railway station on July 24, 2021.

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