The Border Security Force (BSF) deployed on the India-Bangladesh border in Cooch Behar district apprehended seven Bangladeshi nationals from two different locations on Monday while they were illegally trying to cross the frontier.

BSF sources said a group of five Bangladeshis, including two women and two minors, had been arrested while they were illegally trying to cross the international border to reach their homeland.

“The group had entered India with valid passports and visas earlier. But as their visas had expired, they were illegally trying to cross the border to return to their native land. All of them have been handed over to Mekhliganj police,” said a source.

The BSF also intercepted two Bangladeshis while they were trying to infiltrate into India.

The duo — Mintu Sarkar, a resident of Keraniganj in Dhaka, and Tapas Sutradhar, who is from Munshiganj district of Bangladesh — were handed over to the police.

Also, the BSF carried out anti-smuggling drives in various locations under its north Bengal frontier in the past seven days and seized different items, including cattle, cannabis and cough syrup.

The cost of the seized items is Rs 10.53 lakh, BSF sources said.