New Delhi/Kolkata: An 18-year-old Indian girl holidaying in Dhaka was among 20 foreigners who were hacked to death by IS militants in a terror attack at a restaurant in Bangladesh capital's high-security diplomatic zone.
The girl, Tarushi Jain, a student at UC Berkeley, was on vacation in Dhaka. Her father runs a garment business in Bangladesh for the last 15-20 years, according to officials here.
Another Indian, a doctor by profession, had a narrow escape, as he spoke fluent Bengali and the terrorists mistook him for a Bangladeshi, they said.
In a series of tweets, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said,"I am extremely pained to share that the terrorists have killed Tarushi, an Indian girl who was taken hostage in the terror attack in Dhaka. "I have spoken to her father Sanjeev Jain and conveyed our deepest condolences.The country is with them in this hour of grief. We are arranging visa for the family. My officers are on the job," she said.
Meanwhile, Border Security Force (BSF) has increased vigil along the Indo-Bangla border in the backdrop of the terror attack in Dhaka and have launched special operations. "As it is the festival season of Eid and Rath Yatra, there was a strict vigil on the border. But after Friday's attack in Bangladesh, we have further increased our vigil along the border. We have issued high alerts and special operations are on," IG, BSF, Sandeep Salunke said.
BSF is in touch with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and is keeping a close eye on the situation. "We are constantly in touch with Indian intelligence agencies and also with BGB," he said.