Staff correspondent:

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained 44 individuals early Wednesday while they were entering Bangladesh illegally through the Roumari and Bhurungamari borders in Kurigram.

According to BGB and local sources, 30 people were detained from the border area of Roumari upazila, while 14 others were apprehended at the Bhawalkuri border in Bhurungamari upazila.

When they were roaming in the respective areas suspiciously, locals reported it to the BGB, who later detained them. It was learned in primary interrogation that eight of them are Bangladeshi nationals while the others are Rohingya. The police said they are verifying their identities.

The 14 individuals – eight women and six men – detained at the Bhawalkuri border are members of three families. They were found around three kilometers inside Bangladeshi territory.

Lutfor Rahman, officer-in-charge of Roumari Police Station, said 30 individuals were detained earlier in the early morning after they crossed the border. Of them, eight are residents of Sylhet and Jashore, while the remaining 22 are believed to be Rohingyas. Their identities are being verified.

Matiur Rahman, assistant director of the BGB Battalion-22 in Kurigram, said among the 14 people detained from the Bhawalkuri border, eight are women and six are men. They are trying to reveal if they were pushed back from India.