Tea farmer abducted near India-Bangladesh border

A 35-year-old tea farmer, identified as Dipankar Gope, was allegedly abducted from a tea garden in the Kukurjan area of Rajganj block, near the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district.

According to family members and local reports, a group of approximately 20 individuals, suspected to be Bangladeshi miscreants, crossed the international border, overpowered Gope while he was working, and forcibly took him into Bangladesh’s Panchagarh district.

The family suspects the abduction may be retaliatory. They allege the incident is linked to a thwarted infiltration attempt on August 6, when a Bangladeshi national reportedly attempted to breach the barbed-wire fencing at the Chaulhati border before being intercepted by villagers and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel. Authorities are currently investigating the disappearance and any potential connections to cross-border criminal networks.