Bangladeshi shot dead by Khasi villagers inside Indian territory

A Bangladeshi was shot dead by a group of indigenous villagers inside Indian territory near Kendribil in Sylhet's Jaintapur upazila this morning.

The deceased was identified as Md Makbul Hossain (25), son of Jamshed Ali of Kendri village in the upazila, reports our Sylhet correspondent.

The incident occurred when four Bangladeshi locals, including Makbul, crossed the Indian border allegedly to smuggle something in the morning, said Lt Col Ahmed Yusuf Jamil, commanding officer of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Battalion-48 in Sylhet.

"On seeing them, indigenous Khasi villagers opened fire on the four Bangladeshis, leaving Makbul dead on the spot," he said, adding that the others brought the body inside Bangladesh territory and then fled the place.

Golam Dastagir, officer-in-charge of Jaintapur Police Station, said, "On information, we recovered the body from the border and sent it to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital for an autopsy."

"A group of villagers often go inside Indian territory to smuggle things like betel nut and logs of wood," he said.

Quoting locals, the OC also said Khasi people opened fire on four Bangladeshis as they had an altercation with them for some reason after entering India.

BGB 48 Battalion's commanding officer also said, "We are vigilant at the border and continue awareness campaign among locals. But it's not improving the situation as the local council representatives are not cooperating."

"We urge all people not to risk their life by entering India," he said.