The detention of the two men over the death of Sharif Osman Hadi – whose killing last year triggered anti-India protests in Bangladesh – may provide an early test of cooperation between New Delhi and Dhaka following Bangladesh’s recent political transition.
His death sparked speculation in Bangladesh that India was sheltering the killers, despite Delhi’s assurances that it would cooperate with authorities investigating the case.
On Sunday, Indian police said they had detained two suspects – Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Hossain – in the state of West Bengal, which borders Bangladesh, according to local media reports.
“There was credible information that two Bangladeshi nationals, after committing serious crimes including extortion and murder in Bangladesh, had fled their country and illegally entered India, and were trying to take shelter in the border area of Bongaon with the intention of crossing back to Bangladesh,” police said in a statement.