A 33-year-old Bangladeshi national, who has been intercepted by the BSF from Cooch Behar near the India-Bangladesh border while trying to infiltrate his homeland, had been well-established in Bengal for some years as an imam and a teacher.
The infiltrator had Aadhaar and PAN cards, a bank account and even received the imam’s allowance from the state government.
Salimuddin aka Salim Ansari of Cox’s Bazar of the neighbouring country had illegally entered India around four years back with his mother. They stayed in Beldanga, Murshidabad, and he had somehow managed to become the imam (cleric) of a
local mosque.
Sources said personnel of the sixth battalion of BSF posted at Arjun border outpost in Mekhliganj, Cooch Behar, spotted Salim near the Bangladesh border on Thursday and intercepted him. During interrogation, he initially claimed he was an Indian but eventually admitted he was a Bangladeshi.
“During initial questioning at the border, the individual falsely claimed to be an Indian national.... On sustained interrogation, he admitted to being a Bangladeshi citizen,” said Sandip Garai, the additional SP of Mathabhanga.
On Friday, the BSF handed him over to the Kuchlibari police station. The police registered a case under the Foreigners’ Act against him. On Saturday, he was produced in court. The court heard the case and sent him in police custody for 10 days.
In the course of a preliminary investigation, the police found out that Salim initially joined a tailoring shop in Beldanga to earn a living. In due course, he joined the mosque as the imam and started teaching at a madrasah.
In these years, he managed to obtain Aadhaar and PAN cards and opened a
bank account.
“He used to receive the state government’s monthly allowance provided to imams (Muslim clerics). Though he didn’t have proper documents, he got the allowance with the help of a local resident with whom he shared the allowance,” the source added.
As of now, imams associated with mosques across the state get a monthly allowance of ₹3,000 under an assistance scheme launched by chief minister Mamata Banerjee soon after she assumed power in 2011.
Salim, sources said, was going to Bangladesh to meet his elder brother and other relatives when he was nabbed.
“He engaged two Indian brokers to help him enter his homeland illegally. We are searching for them,” said a police officer.
As of Saturday evening, Salim’s mother is still in Beldanga.
State BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar slammed the TMC government.
“This isn’t an isolated incident — it’s part of a well-established pattern. Such infiltrators not only exploit government benefits but also illegally claim voting rights and often help elect the Trinamool Congress to power,” Majumdar wrote on X.
“The most alarming fact: nearly 450 kilometres of the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal remains unfenced — because the state government refuses to provide the required land to the Centre, all to protect its ‘vote bank’. This gaping hole allows unrestricted illegal infiltration, letting criminals and potential jihadis slip into the country — while Home Minister @MamataOfficial stays silent, fully aware,” he added.
TMC leaders passed the buck to the BSF under the Union home ministry. “The BSF guards the border. It is their task to stop infiltration,” said a TMC functionary in Cooch Behar.