A 35-year-old tea worker from West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district was allegedly abducted from a tea garden near the India-Bangladesh border on Saturday, with his family claiming that a group of Bangladeshi miscreants was behind the incident.
The alleged abduction occurred in the Kukurjan area of Rajganj block, close to the international border. The missing man, identified as Dipankar Gope, belongs to Tasar Para in the border village of Chaulhati.
Gope’s family suspects the incident may be linked to an earlier attempt by a Bangladeshi national to cross into India illegally. They alleged that the abduction was carried out as retaliation after the infiltration bid was thwarted.
Bengal Tea Worker Taken To Bangladesh
India Today, citing local sources,
reported that on August 6, a Bangladeshi national allegedly tried to breach the barbed-wire fencing along the Chaulhati border to enter Indian territory. Villagers and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel reportedly intercepted him and subsequently handed him over to the police.
Locals suspect the detained man may have connections with a cross-border smuggling network. Authorities are investigating the alleged abduction and the possible link between the two incidents.
On Saturday morning, Gope went to spray pesticides in his six-bigha tea garden located beyond the border fencing. While working alone, around 20 alleged Bangladeshi miscreants reportedly crossed the international border, overpowered him and forcibly took him into Bangladesh’s Panchagarh district.
The incident triggered concern in nearby villages, where residents fear for people working close to the border. BSF personnel reached the spot and held a flag meeting with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officials to secure Gope’s release. However, he had not been released till Saturday night and was reportedly in BGB custody.
A purported video of Gope surfaced on social media, allegedly showing him saying he would be released only after an arrested Bangladeshi national is freed. The video has not been independently verified. More details are awaited.
