BSF hands over to Bangladesh minor boy who crossed international border

Border Security Force on Friday said that it has handed over to Bangladesh a 12-year-old boy who crossed the international border (IB) to meet his grandfather here in India.

BSF personnel handed over the minor boy to their Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) counterparts. "The apprehended minor Bangladeshi boy has been handed over to the BGB as a goodwill gesture," said the BSF.

Personnel of the Kolkata-based south Bengal frontier of the BSF, which is mandated to guard 913.32 km of the 4,096 km India-Bangladesh border, apprehended the Bangladeshi boy from the area of Border Out Post Pirojpur around 11 am on Thursday when he was attempting to cross the IB and enter India.

Based on information of the BSF's Intelligence Branch, the boy was apprehended and was identified as Mohd Nayan Ali, a resident of Joharpur village in Chapai Nawabganj district of Bangladesh.

The BSF said that during interrogation, the boy revealed that he crossed the IB at 8 am in Indian village Bajitput in Murshidabad district to meet his grandfather, whose name is Iramul Sheikh. "The boy revealed that he was going back to Bangladesh when the BSF troops apprehended him."

On inquiry, BSF's Officiating Commanding Officer (78th Battalion) Vishwabandhu stated it had come to light that the boy had inadvertently entered the country and there was no wrong intention on his part.

"The boy has crossed the International Boundary to meet his grandfather. Although crossing the IB comes under the category of a crime, but out of respect for the boy's future and the sentiments of the border people, the boy was handed over to the BGB as a goodwill gesture.

( With inputs from ANI )