Bengal Police’s special task force on Sunday morning arrested two Bangladeshi nationals from the border in connection with the murder of Bangladesh’s political and cultural activist Sharif Osman Hadi.

Hadi was killed in Dhaka last year

The police identified the two as Rahul, alias Faisal Karim Masud, 37, and Alamgir Hossain, 34.

They were arrested at the Bongaon border, where they were allegedly hiding. They were looking for an opportunity to return to Bangladesh, the cops said.

The duo has been booked under sections of the Foreigners Act for illegally sneaking into the Indian territory.

“If Dhaka Police seek their extradition, they will have to approach through the ministry of external affairs as per the protocol,” an officer said.

Hadi, 32, a prospective independent MP candidate from the Dhaka-8 constituency and the spokesperson for Inqilab Moncho, was shot in the head in the Paltan-Bijoynagar area of Dhaka on December 12 last year. He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Singapore on December 18.

Last year, Dhaka Police had mentioned that the prime suspects — Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Hossain — had sneaked into India through the Meghalaya border.

The Meghalaya government, led by the National People’s Party (NPP), an ally of the BJP, had denied the claim.

On Sunday, officers of Bengal Police said that the duo had indeed sneaked into India through the Meghalaya border and travelled across multiple locations before reaching Bongaon.

“There was information that two Bangladeshi nationals, after committing serious crimes in Bangladesh, had fled their country and illegally entered India...,” said an STF officer.

“Acting on this information, a raid was conducted, and two Bangladeshi nationals...intercepted from Bongaon,” he added.

In a press note issued by the deputy high commission of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Calcutta, on Sunday night, it was stated that Kolkata Police had informed them of the arrest of two Bangladeshi nationals.

After the news was published, the deputy high commission, Calcutta, contacted the Indian authorities and requested to provide “consular access”, the note mentioned.