Bahraich: Security forces are on high alert after intelligence reports indicated that over two dozen Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals are attempting to infiltrate the India-Nepal International Border, officials said.
The suspected infiltrators are believed to have reached Nepal amid a pause in India-Pakistan hostilities triggered by the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Commandant Ganga Singh Udavat of the 42nd Battalion of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the paramilitary force tasked with guarding the India-Nepal border, confirmed the reports on Wednesday evening.
"According to specific inputs received from the SSB Force Headquarters, about 35-37 Bangladeshi and Pakistani citizens have crossed over from their respective countries to Nepal. They will try to infiltrate through the open India-Nepal border," Commandant Udavat said.
Commandant Udavat emphasised the SSB's readiness to prevent such attempts. "We are alert 24x7 to counter any attempt by undesirable people to enter India by taking advantage of the open border," he said.
With the intelligence inputs, the SSB has intensified patrolling.
Commandant Udavat said the border force is carrying out a continuous checking campaign, with soldiers constantly patrolling on foot and in vehicles along roads, through forests, and in villages adjacent to the border.
Checkpoints have been increased to verify the identity of individuals crossing the border. Currently, only Indian and Nepali citizens are permitted to cross the border.
The India-Nepal border spans approximately 1,750 kilometres, touching five Indian states including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Sikkim and West Bengal. Uttar Pradesh alone shares a 579-kilometre border with Nepal, encompassing districts such as Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Siddharthnagar and Maharajganj.
Bahraich district in particular shares about a 100-kilometre stretch of this border, which includes the dense Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary.
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