Dhaka: Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi has said that Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would be accorded an “honourable reception” if he decides to visit India, local media reported.

Addressing a reception hosted for leading Bangladeshi business leaders and a delegation of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at a Dhaka hotel, Trivedi said, “After meeting the prime minister here, I went straight to Delhi and had a great meeting with our prime minister. He (PM Narendra Modi) just mentioned one thing: we need to meet.”

According to Bangladesh’s leading newspaper The Daily Star, the Indian High Commissioner mentioned that PM Modi has stated that when the Prime Minister of Bangladesh visits India, he will have such an “honourable reception as he deserves”.

Last week, Trivedi called on Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi, a day after he paid a courtesy call on PM Rahman in Dhaka.

Emphasising that Rahman’s potential visit would be a “memorable” one, Trivedi said it could benefit people and businesses in both countries. He admitted that the bilateral relationship had encountered “hiccups”, but maintained that such setbacks should not erode the longstanding ties between the two nations.

“I can tell you I fully understand there are issues, but these issues can definitely be sorted out once the prime minister of Bangladesh and our Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet,” said the Indian High Commissioner.

“We need to get ourselves together… I’m not telling you to forget the past. Keep it, but sort out the differences. And move on. Don’t get stagnant,” he added.

Trivedi highlighted people-to-people ties, employment, education and healthcare as key areas in which the two countries could further expand cooperation. He said that New Delhi’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy underscores the importance India places on its relationship with Bangladesh.

He noted that a series of high-level engagements, including visits by India’s External Affairs Minister and Speaker, as well as his own posting to Dhaka, reflected New Delhi’s desire to give fresh impetus to bilateral ties. He said that Indian officials had been working closely with the Bangladeshi leaders in recent weeks to resolve differences and gain an understanding of the concerns of the people of Bangladesh, adding that the relationship should be seen as “a partnership of equals”.

Meanwhile, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka hosted the business reception on Tuesday, bringing together the visiting delegation from the CII and leading members of the business community in Bangladesh for meaningful interactions.

According to the Indian High Commission, the discussions were aimed at advancing bilateral economic and commercial cooperation and fostering stronger business-to-business linkages between India and Bangladesh.

Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam also attended the programme and delivered the keynote speech.

Kolkata: The West Bengal Police on Wednesday informed that the Special Task Force (STF) of the state police has arrested the third local associate of the Pakistani national, Wahab Alam, having links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), who was arrested earlier this month from Habra in North 24 Parganas district.

The person arrested by the STF sleuths has been identified as Zafar Sams alias Sunny. An original resident of Topsia in East Kolkata, Sunny had been absconding since the arrest of Alam.

Finally, he was arrested in Rishra in Hooghly district. However, the state police have not disclosed the time of his arrest and other relevant details.

The STF officials are currently interrogating Sunny to get details of his involvement in Alam’s activities. “We doubt Sunny played a role in strengthening the sleeper cell or network that Alam was forming to smuggle secret information from India to ISI,” said a state police officer.

Two days ago, Imran Hosain, a second associate of Alam, was arrested by STF sleuths from his residence in Topsia.

Before that, the state STF sleuths arrested Mohammad Izaz, Alam’s closest associate, also from his residence in the same locality of Topsia.

It is alleged that Alam, after illegally entering West Bengal via Nepal in 2012, used to stay at Izaz’s residence and the latter was instrumental in arranging Indian identity documents for the Pakistani national.

The STF sleuths got information about Sunny after integrating Alam, Izaz and Imran, first separately and then together.

Earlier on August 14 night, the STF sleuths arrested three other suspected Pakistani spies, all three being Indian citizens, from the Sahebganj area of the India-Bangladesh border district of Cooch Behar.

The names of the arrested are Rashidul Haque, Nur Nasiruddin Ali and Shafiqul Islam.

Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has started collecting information about Wahab Alam. The move came after the preliminary investigation by the STF revealed Alam’s alleged links with Pakistan’s spy agency, ISI. The NIA has contacted the Bengal STF to obtain details of the investigation and the information gathered so far.

The NIA will interrogate Alam and Izaz, and if necessary, Hosaain and the other three arrested from Cooch Behar.

Satna : Two youths have been arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh after taking her to a secluded area on the pretext of giving her a motorcycle ride, police said on Wednesday.

The incident was reported from the Nai Basti area under the Kolgawan police station limits. The police action followed a complaint lodged by the minor along with her family members.

According to the police, the minor had come in contact with one of the accused, Sanju alias Anshul Sahu (24), through Instagram on July 14. The two subsequently remained in contact through social media and phone calls.

Sahu, a native of Khamhariya in Rewa district, is currently residing in the Hanuman Dhara-Nai Basti area of Satna, police said. On August 17, Sahu allegedly reached the minor’s house along with his friend Sachin alias Vivek Rawat (19). Rawat is a native of Gangev in Rewa district and currently resides in the Hanuman Nagar-Nai Basti area.

The two allegedly took the minor on a motorcycle to Nai Basti, telling her that they were taking her for a ride. Police said Sahu allegedly sexually assaulted the minor at the location.

When she resisted, he allegedly intimidated and threatened her. The accused later dropped the girl back at her home.

“After returning home, the minor narrated the incident to her family members and approached the Kolgawan police station on Tuesday.

Based on her statement, a case was registered and both accused were arrested,” police said.

The police registered a case under Sections 74, 75(1), 64(2)(m), 65(i), 127(2), 351(3) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The investigation into the case is underway, and police are examining the circumstances surrounding the incident and the communication between the accused and the minor before the alleged offence.