Agartala, Nov 6 (PTI) The number of people arrested in connection with the attack on Border Security Force (BSF) personnel in Tripura's Sepahijala district has risen to 18, including three women, following the arrest of eight more accused, police said on Friday.
The fresh arrests were made from different parts of the district during raids conducted on Thursday night and early Friday morning in connection with the November 2 incident at Ashabari village under Kalamchaura police station, located along the India-Bangladesh international border.
An intensive search operation was underway to apprehend the remaining accused, a senior police official said.
All 18 accused have been booked under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.
The eight newly arrested persons would be produced before a local court at the earliest, the official said.
Earlier, the first 10 accused were produced before a court. Following its orders, the male accused were remanded to police custody, while the women were sent to judicial custody.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday night chaired a high-level meeting with senior officials of the state administration and security forces to review the incident and the overall law and order situation.
In a post on X, Saha said the meeting was held at the TIFT Conference Hall in Agartala in the presence of senior officials from the police, BSF, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Assam Rifles.
The chief minister said the Ashabari incident was reviewed and directed the authorities to take strict legal action against those involved. He also stressed zero tolerance towards cross-border smuggling and called for strengthened security measures to maintain peace and law and order.
According to police, the incident occurred when BSF personnel intercepted a group of alleged smugglers attempting to transport ganja across the international border.
The personnel were subsequently surrounded and attacked by a mob of around 50 men and women, leaving three BSF personnel, including a Company Commander, grievously injured.
The attackers allegedly snatched a pump-action gun (PAG) from one of the personnel and damaged a BSF vehicle. One of the alleged attackers was also injured in the incident.
Tripura has witnessed several attacks on security personnel allegedly linked to cross-border smuggling activities.
On October 16, 2017, Deputy Commandant Deepak Kumar Mandal of the BSF's 145th Battalion was allegedly run over by a vehicle driven by smugglers at Balerdepha in Sonamura subdivision of Sepahijala district. He succumbed to his injuries on October 20.
Similarly, Tripura Police Sub-Inspector Durga Kumar Hrangkhawl was killed on duty on November 21, 2019, after a vehicle allegedly operated by cross-border smuggling mafias ran him over in the same district.
Tripura shares an 856-km-long international border with Bangladesh and is surrounded by the neighbouring country on three sides. Although most stretches have been fenced, the state remains vulnerable to cross-border smuggling, illegal movement and other transnational crimes.
