Agartala, Oct 12:Police have arrested four more persons in connection with the vandalism of a vehicle belonging to an Inspector General of Police during the counting of votes in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) village committee elections at Thalibari, officials said on Monday.
The accused have been identified as Sona Manik Tripura (29), Bajendra Tripura (31), Bhadra Kumar Tripura (38) and Jatrapada Tripura (39). All four are residents of Dhuppchhara Para, police said.
A police team led by Jatrapur police station officer-in-charge Partha Nath Bhowmik, accompanied by Tripura State Rifles (TSR) personnel, cordoned off the locality and apprehended the four men around 8.30 pm on Sunday, October 11.
The accused were subsequently taken to the police station for further legal proceedings. They are scheduled to be produced before the Sonamura court on Monday, the officer said.
The latest arrests mark the third phase of the police crackdown in connection with the incident. Police are continuing efforts to trace and apprehend other persons named in the case, officials said.
Bhowmik said the police were treating the vandalism of the senior police officer's vehicle seriously and that legal action would be taken against those found involved.
He also indicated that the operation would continue until the remaining accused were apprehended. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and the alleged involvement of other persons, he said.
The incident occurred at Thalibari on the day of counting of votes in the TTAADC village committee elections and reportedly triggered tension in the area.
Following the incident, police launched an investigation to identify those allegedly involved in the vandalism. A series of arrests has since been carried out as part of efforts to take action against the accused.
The latest operation was conducted in Dhuppchhara Para, where the police team, assisted by TSR personnel, cordoned off the locality before detaining the four men.
Officials said the investigation was still underway and further arrests were possible as police continued to pursue other accused named in the case.
The police have maintained that anyone found responsible for damaging the Inspector General's vehicle would face legal action.
The latest arrests come amid the continuing investigation into the incident linked to the counting of votes in the village committee elections. Police have not specified a timeline for the apprehension of the remaining accused. PTI
