Bangladeshi gangs training minors to commit crimes in Tripura

Agartala, Jan 1 (UNI) The Tripura police have arrested a gang of about 20 minor Bangladeshi rag-pickers for committing burglaries throughout the city since the past three months.

Police said here today that gangs, from across the border, had been professionally training poor children, all aged between 7-17 years, from the neighbouring country, to commit thefts and other petty crimes in the state.

Quoting Bangladeshi rag-pickers, who were detained here on December 30, police stated that the minors sneak into the Indian territory through the unfenced border near Agartala at the crack of dawn.

The children said the thick fog helped to conceal their activities and they were adept at evading the BSF personnel, who remained fatigued after a full night's duty.

The minors admitted that they were part of an organised Bangladeshi gang and were responsible for the sudden spurt in burglaries across the capital city, police added.

West Agartala Police Station Officer In-charge Subrata Chakraborty said 22 such theft cases were registered in the city under the West and East Agartala police stations' jurisdiction alone since the past three months and all these burglaries were committed by the same gang.

''We have a strict code for handling juvenile delinquents and as a result, the BSF could not open fire at the children even if they attempted to flee,'' Mr Chakraborty pointed out.

At any given moment, about 50-60 such boys and even girls were active in Agartala and its suburbs, he added.

''We have produced the children before the court and later they were sent back to Bangladesh with the BSF's help while the names of the Bangladeshi miscreants, training the children, were also handed over to the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR),'' Mr Chakraborty informed.

UNI BB DPM NC DS1400