Ivory Coast Man held for Entering India from Bangladesh

Shillong, Jan 12 (IANS) A man from Ivory Coast in west Africa has been arrested by the BSF for illegally crossing over to India from Bangladesh, officials said Monday.

Abba Ezeke, 46, was arrested Saturday midnight from Langtilla village near the border in Meghalaya's West Jaintia Hills district, Border Security Force spokesman Sushil Kumar Singh said.

Though the BSF official ruled out Ezeke's possible links with any terrorist group, Indian intelligence agencies were interrogating the man to find out about his background.

"During our interrogation, Ezeke claimed he was married to a Nepalese national, Sunitha Shasta in Kathmandu, and was involved in garment business in Bangladesh since 2008," the BSF spokesman told IANS.

"He (Ezeke) says he crossed over to India with a motive to go to New Delhi to renew his visa which expired Jan 25, 2014," he said.

But what surprised the Indian intelligence officials was that Ezeke was staying in Bangladesh with his expired Republique de Cote d'Ivoire passport, which was valid up to Jan 28, 2014 and visa which expired Jan 25, 2014.

"We are interrogating Ezeke and verifying his passport since he had also travelled to India," an intelligence official said on condition of anonymity.

Meghalaya Police have registered a case against Ezeke under the Foreigners Act.