During 2017-2021, a total of 6,712 intruders were apprehended, the report said. (Representational)
Infiltration attempts through international borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan registered a record in 2021 in comparison to the last five years with a total of 1,628 incoming apprehension as well as killings of 18 intruders, revealed government data.
As per Home Ministry data accessed by news agency ANI, a total of 1,252 intruders were apprehended in 2020; 1,408 in 2019; 1,173 in 2018; and 1,251 in 2017. Besides, 16 intruders were killed in 2020, six in 2019, eight in 2018 and 11 in 2017.
The data is collated by the Border Security Force (BSF) based on its operations conducted between 2017 and 2021 during which a total of 6,712 intruders were apprehended while entering into Indian territory both from India-Bangladesh and India-Pakistan borders.
The BSF has mentioned in its fresh data that 268 intruders were held while entering into Indian territory through the India-Pakistan border and the remaining 6,444 were held from India-Bangladesh border between 2017 and 2021.
Of the 268 intruders apprehended at the India-Pakistan border, 60 were held from Rajasthan, 19 from Jammu, 156 from Punjab and 33 from Rajasthan.
Of the 6,444 intruders apprehended from the India-Bangladesh border, a maximum of 4,796 were caught from South Bengal followed by 585 from North Bengal, 558 from Tripura, 248 from Meghalaya, 214 from Guwahati and 43 from Mizoram and Cachar.
In 2021 alone, 45 intruders were held at the India-Pakistan border (33 at Punjab border, seven at Rajasthan, three at Gujarat and two at Jammu) while trying to enter into Indian territory while 1,583 were caught at the India-Bangladesh border (1,248 from South Bengal, 100 North Bengal, 82 from Tripura, 75 from Guwahati, 64 from Meghalaya and 14 from Mizoram and Cachar).
Of the total 18 killings of intruders in 2021, 14 (six each at Punjab and Jammu borders, and two at Rajasthan) were shot at on the India-Pakistan border while four were killed at the India-Bangladesh border while trying to flee from the BSF troops despite alerts to surrender or when they attacked the border security force.
A senior officer in the BSF, which is mandated to guard 4,096 km India-Bangladesh and 3,323 km India-Pakistan borders, said most of the intruders who tried to infiltrate into Indian territory from Bangladesh were those trying to find jobs here while a few of them were engaged in the illegal trade of smuggling of drugs and human trade.
However, the officer, on condition of anonymity told ANI, that those entering from Pakistan were suppliers of drugs, arms and ammunition.
The BSF has been facing these issues for years despite the matter being always raised during annual and bi-annual DG and IG and sector commander-level talks between the border guarding forces of both Bangladesh and Pakistan.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)