Meghalaya Police Detain 18 Bangladeshi Nationals, 7 Alleged Facilitators in Pre-Dawn Jowai Operation

Overview

• West Jaintia Hills police intercepted multiple vehicles along the Dawki–Jowai route around 3 a.m. on January 20 after a pursuit from Lad Demthring to Amlarem.
• An initial stop near Amlarem found four Bangladeshi nationals, while two suspected touts identified as Meban Dkhar and Melari Rasmut were detained at Lad Demthring.
• Information from the detained touts led to a checkpoint at Amlarem market, where three vehicles were stopped around 3:45 a.m. carrying 14 additional Bangladeshi nationals.
• Five drivers were taken into custody and five vehicles were seized, with all detainees booked under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025.
• Police credited the Demthring headman and Village Defence Parties for timely inputs, while inquiries continue into the drivers’ roles and whether the migrants were not recent arrivals.