West Bengal: BSF apprehends Bangladeshi woman and trafficker along Indo-Bangladesh border

KOLKATA: The Border Security Force (BSF), on Thursday, apprehended a young Bangladeshi woman who was being trafficked into India across the Indian Border (IB) at Ghojadanga in North 24-Parganas, West Bengal. An Indian trafficker was also nabbed. The woman was uncooperative during questioning and only revealed that she worked in the East Midnapore district. Officials suspect that she works as a sex worker at a seaside tourist destinations such as Digha or Mandarmani.
"Based on specific intelligence inputs, troops of the 153Bn BSF flagged down a motorcycle near the International Check Post (ICP) at Ghojadanga around 5.10pm on Thursday while moving from Uttarpara towards Basirhat. On being challenged while trying to cross the BSF checkpost bridge, the man riding the motorcycle attempted to flee but was nabbed. The woman riding pillion was also apprehended. The man produced an Aadhar Card that turned out to be fake and the two were taken into custody," a senior BSF official said.
The man has been identified as Mostafejur Sardar (28) of Ghojadanga and the woman as Arifa Bibi (22) from Lokidari village in Satkhira, Bangladesh. The woman told the BSF that she had paid Rs 8,000 to Sardar and Bangladeshi tout Hafijul to help her get across. She claimed that she had been to East Midnapore in the past and lived with her sister there. Sardar confessed that he had received Rs 4,000 from Hafizul who also provided the fake Aadhar Card in Arifa's name. He also admitted that he has been involved in trafficking young Bangladeshi women to India over the last several years. Both have been handed over to the Hasnabad police. Jawahar Singh Negi, CO, 153Bn BSF, has expressed satisfaction at the role played by his men in upholding the BSF's policy of zero-tolerance to cross-border crime