KOLKATA, Jan 24 - The BSF on Friday said a substantial increase in the outflow of illegal Bangladeshi migrants to their home country has been recorded over the past one month, following the enactment of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
A top official of the paramilitary force said there has been a spike in the number of illegal settlers apprehended since last month.
The outflow has been highest via North 24 Parganas district, which shares border with Bangladesh, BSF Inspector General (South Bengal Frontier) YB Khurania said.
�There has been substantial increase in outflow of illegal Bangladeshi migrants to the bordering country in last one month. In January alone, we apprehended 268 illegal Bangladeshi migrants, most of who were trying to sneak into the neighbouring country,� Khurania told reporters.
Those leaving the country were mostly engaged as masons, maids and housekeepers in the country, another BSF official said.
�The highest outflow is via North 24 Parganas district. They (migrants) were mostly based in Bangalore and North India. Some were involved in paltry jobs such as masons, maids, housekeepers and sweepers,� he said.
In 2019, the BSF had apprehended 2,194 Bangladeshis, most of them caught while trying to illegally sneak into India. But since December last year, things have changed, the official said.
West Bengal shares about 2,216.7-km border with Bangladesh, a large portion of which is unfenced.
According to BSF sources, troopers were not stopping the immigrants from crossing over to their home country, except in cases when they were found to be smuggling goods.