Siliguri, May 7: Nirmal Burman, a Bangladeshi in his mid-twenties, was arrested near North Bengal Medical College and Hospital this afternoon. A pipe-gun was recovered from him.

Police are trying to ascertain Burman’s connections with militant outfits or members of criminal gangs based across the borders.

“We are trying to find whether Burman had any local connections or had access to sensitive documents or possessed sophisticated arms,” said an officer of the Matigara police station.

Today’s arrest comes close on the heels of the arrest of Pappu Kumar Jha, a resident of Patna, who was arrested in April while trying to extort money from Siliguri businessmen posing as a member of the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO).

The arrest of the Bangla national has put the police on alert.

Senior officers here feel that criminals from adjoining districts as well as from across the borders might enter Siliguri and try to hide here taking advantage of the town’s cosmopolitan character.

“We must be more alert following the Chopra incident. There is a possibility that members of Bihar-based criminal gangs might be hired by leaders of some political parties,” a senior district police officer said.

Siliguri additional superintendent of police Rajeev Mishra told The Telegraph: “Following the arrest of Burman, we have made foolproof security arrangements around Siliguri’s borders. We have increased manpower in places close to our border with Bangladesh and Nepal.”

Special patrol teams are being formed to ensure that criminals do not enter Siliguri and its adjoining areas before the panchayat polls, Mishra added.

Siliguri’s proximity to Nepal and Bangladesh makes it vulnerable to influences from beyond the borders.

The police officer said: “We are also conducting random checks on all vehicles entering Siliguri from Bihar.”

Special night patrols are being pressed into service since vehicles carrying goods normally enter the town at night.

A platoon of the elite district combat force has also been specially commissioned to maintain peace in Siliguri in the run-up to the rural polls.

Some areas around the Bidhanagar police station too have been declared “sensitive.”

The police in the Phansidewa, Naxalbari and Kharibari blocks, too, have been asked to maintain extra vigil.

Siliguri shares 24 km of international border with Bangladesh and about 39 km with Nepal.

The sub-division also shares a 24-km state boundary with Bihar.