The RPF has apprehended 916 people, including 586 Bangladeshi nationals and 318 Rohingyas, since 2021, showing its commitment to safeguarding the nation, the railway ministry said on Sunday. According to the ministry, in the months of June and July last year, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) apprehended 88 Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants in areas under the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR). "Some of these individuals confessed to entering India illegally and were intercepted while travelling by train to destinations such as Kolkata," according to a press statement issued by the ministry.

"In October 2024, reports highlighted that despite increased security measures along the Bangladesh border, illegal migrants continue to infiltrate India, using Assam as a transit route and railways as their preferred mode of travel to reach other parts of the country," the statement said. The ministry said these incidents underscore the challenges faced by Indian authorities in monitoring and securing the railway network against illegal infiltration. "The use of railways by infiltrators not only facilitates their movement across states but also complicates efforts to detect and prevent unauthorised entry into the country," the press note said.