Bangladesh beefs up vigil on border checkpoints after murders of foreign nationals

Authorities at Jessore’s Benapole land port have tightened vigil on Bangladesh nationals and foreigners coming from and going into the country.

Benapole port’s immigration authorities and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) say they received a 'special order' from the government to intensify their gaze after the recent murders of two foreign nationals in the country.

“We are constantly forwarding all the details of foreigners entering through Benapole to Dhaka. We have been told to meticulously scrutinise every detail before allowing a Bangladesh national to cross the border,” Immigration Police’s Inspector Momin Uddin told bdnews24.com.

Security measures have been beefed up on other border checkpoints with India in the district, said Jessore-based 26 BGB Battalion Commander Lt Col Jahangir Hossain. “We are on constant alert so that no criminals can cross the border.”

After the Sep 28 murder of Italian aid worker Cesare Tavella in Dhaka, Japanese citizen Kunio Hoshi was killed in Rangpur on Oct 3.

Both of them were murdered in an identical way, shot thrice by motorycle-borne assassins from close range.

Middle East based Islamic State radicals claimed responsibility for both murders, according to international media and monitoring groups.

But Bangladesh government said they were yet to find any evidence of IS involvement.

Indian intelligence agencies also discounted the possibility of IS involvement in the twin murders.