Seema Surkashya Bal (SSB), the border security force of India, arrested five Nepal-bound Sri Lankans from Panitanki, India, along Nepal-India on Friday.

A number of Bangladeshis, Bhutanese, Tibetans and Sri Lankans are believed to be using Kakadvitta border point, taking advantage of slack checking to enter Nepal illegally.

Many Bangladeshis sneak into Nepal as they bear a strong resemblance to Indians. Most of them are illegal immigrants who also enter India via banned road networks.  

According to Immigration Office in Kakadvitta, 3,363 Bangladeshis entered Nepal in the last fiscal year. Three Sri Lankans made it into the country, while there were no records of Bhutanese, Tibetan and Pakistani people who entered Nepal during this period. When contacted, Immigration Chief Ram Prasad Phuyal, however, said they had no information on illegal immigration. After the Mumbai Bombings, India has tightened the transit visa for Bangladeshis at checkpoints.

“Though India is not providing visa to Bangladeshi they are entering Nepal illegally. They enter Nepal saying that they are Indian nationals,” a source at the immigration said.

It came to light recently that many Bangladeshi immigrants had obtained Nepali citizenship illegally and were being involved in criminal activities.

(Ekantipur)