Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Tuesday stated that 3,518 foreign nationals, mostly from Bangladesh, have been arrested in the state since 2022 for illegal entry.
Speaking in response to a calling attention notice by Tipra Motha Party MLA Ranjit Debbarma, Saha added that his government is actively working to prevent cross-border infiltration.
He said that following the regime change in Dhaka, the state constituted special task forces (STFs) in all eight districts to stop infiltration, in line with the Centre’s directives.
“The STFs are not only working against infiltration but also keeping a close vigil on potential terrorist activities, drug smuggling, fundamentalist groups and international crime,” he said.
“We have also formed a state-level task force, headed by a SP-rank officer, to oversee border crimes,” he said.
Saha said that altogether 3,518 foreign nationals, mostly Bangladeshis, were arrested since 2022 in the state.
The chief minister stated that 965 Bangladeshi nationals were arrested in 2022, 1,014 in 2023, 947 in 2024, and 390 in 2025 up to August 31.
Of them, 2,739 have already been sent back to their countries, he said.
A total of 894 arrested Bangladeshis were sent back in 2022, 696 in 2023, 676 in 2024 and 441 in 2025, as of August 31, he added.
ALSO READ: Tripura panchayat wins national silver award in e-Governance
The Chief Minister noted that in some areas, barbed fencing along the state’s international border could not be completed due to various reasons.
“The state will not tolerate cross-border infiltration,” he said, adding that his government is also taking measures to curb the use of fake documents.
