Intensified anti-smuggling operations behind attack on BSF team in Tripura: Police

Intensified anti-smuggling operations along the India-Bangladesh border are believed to be behind the recent attack on a Border Security Force (BSF) team in Tripura’s Ashabari area, a senior police officer said on November 8.

Sepahijala Superintendent of Police Bijoy Debbarma told PTI that joint teams of the police, Tripura State Rifles (TSR) and BSF have destroyed at least 1.5 crore ganja plants in the Sonamura subdivision over the past year, causing an estimated loss of Rs 1,000 crore to illegal operators.

Security agencies have also seized smuggled goods worth several crores of rupees during the period, he said, adding that intensified enforcement activities have angered those involved in illegal trade.

Debbarma said BSF personnel intercepted an alleged smuggling attempt along the international border in Ashabari on November 2, following which the force came under attack. Three personnel, including an assistant commandant, were injured in the incident.

The SP attributed the attack to losses suffered by smuggling syndicates due to the ongoing crackdown.

Police have arrested 21 people, including two key suspects, for their alleged involvement in the attack. A detailed investigation is underway, he said.

Sepahijala district shares around 99 km of international boundary with Bangladesh, nearly 99 per cent of which is fenced, Debbarma said. However, smugglers continue to use different methods to transport cattle, clothes, medicines, essential commodities and contraband across the border.

He also said around 300 families continue to live outside the barbed-wire fencing along the international boundary. Under the India-Bangladesh agreement, permanent structures cannot be constructed within 150 yards of the zero line, leaving these families outside the fenced area and creating opportunities for smuggling activities, he added.