Locals catch and thrash Bangladeshi thieves in Tripura village

Two Bangladeshi nationals were caught by residents of Nandalal Das Para, a village in Tripura’s West District, after they were found loitering near the India-Bangladesh border in the early hours of April 20. Villagers, suspecting them to be part of a group of cross-border thieves, thrashed them and later handed them over to the Border Security Force (BSF).

The area, located under the Ishanpur Gram Panchayat in Mohanpur sub-division, has witnessed repeated incidents of theft by individuals allegedly entering from Bangladesh. Locals say the dense vegetation and poorly lit surroundings along the border make it easy for intruders to sneak in and flee undetected.

“On the morning of April 20, a farmer went to the village to pick vegetables and saw three strangers sitting next to the forest near the vegetable field. Being suspicious, the villagers gathered and surrounded the vegetable field and the forest,” a source from the village said.

Three individuals were initially spotted by the villagers, but one managed to escape and crossed back over the barbed wire fencing into Bangladesh. The remaining two were overpowered by the villagers before the BSF was alerted.

According to sources, the group was carrying tools commonly used for theft, including hand axes and a star-cutting machine. The two detained men were severely beaten before being turned over to the BSF.

A senior BSF official confirmed the incident to India Today NE, stating, “Three Bangladeshi thieves were detained by the villagers. Among them, one thief escaped from the villagers and somehow crossed the barbed wire fencing. The villagers handed over the other two to the Border Guards after beating them black and blue. However, as we failed to recover anything from them, we will hand them over to the Border Guards of Bangladesh.”

This isn’t the first time such an incident has occurred in the region. Residents say they are frequently forced to take matters into their own hands due to repeated intrusions.