Shah Alam Nur :Bangladeshi and Indian mobile phone networks are allegedly being used in border areas, and increasing smuggling and crimes in the country Local and international smugglers, including the citizens of India and Myanmar, are allegedly using Bangladeshi and Indian mobile networks to set up communications with the global criminals to push illegal arms, yaba tablets, phensidyl etc, causing a threat to the country.According to concerned law-enforcement agencies, there are about 200,000 Bangladeshi and Indian mobile phone SIM cards allegedly being used in criminal activities from border areas of Indian frontier states and Myanmar’s Arakan region.In border areas, both the mobile phone networks are reportedly used by people living near Jaflong, Benapole, Akhaura and Hilli land ports and also in some border areas in the northwest.Sources said, Vodafone’s network was available 5.8km inside the country in Dinajpur. network was also found to be available more than 4.5km inside Chuadanga district in Jibonnagar, while similar situation also prevailed in Kushtia and Naogaon. Vodafone’s network was also found 3km inside Chapainawabganj, Satkhira and Panchagarh.Illegal traders of Yaba and smugglers’ gangs are committing different crimes in the border areas, particularly with Myanmar, using networks of the mobile operators.A number of Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj residents have been frequently using Indian mobile connections, including Vodafone and Reliance companies, which taking toll of growing smuggling.Abdus Salam, a local Banker said that the network of Indian Airtel was available in Rajshahi city.He said Indian Airtel and Vodafone networks are available in more than 20 villages near the border area.He said “You can find Bangladesh and Indian operators’ SIM cards in every house near the border areas.”Mizanul Ahsan, a college teacher from Benapole said, the residents of the country’s border areas have become regular users of mobile SIM cards from Bangladesh and Indian mobile phone operators.He said local and Indian mobile phone networks range allegedly reaches up to eight kilometers in border areas of both the countries.Detective Branch (DB) of Police said that every day illegal Yaba tablets and phensidyl worth more than Tk 1.5 billion have been entering the country through the use of Bangladeshi and Indian mobile networks in border areas of the neighbouring counties.Zakir Hossain Khan, Assistant Director of the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) said, in recent time the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology has reportedly sent a letter to BTRC asking it to shut the mobile phone network in the country’s border areas. The BTRC official said the mobile phone operators will soon be directed to stop network in a bid to prevent smuggling, particularly smuggling of contraband Yaba tablet and human trafficking. He said the Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministry recently said that the authorities concerned have decided to stop different kinds of smuggling, including illegal trade of Yaba and human trafficking through mobile banking. According to the letter, the government has decided to keep the mobile network in the border areas limited only inside the territory of Bangladesh.All the mobile phone operators must limit their network in border areas inside the territory of Bangladesh.
