India-Bangladesh border fencing workers abducted from Tripura

Although security forces continued their combing operation in Dhalai and neighbouring districts, the incident raised questions about the vigil on the border by BSF

Three persons engaged in work to fence the Indo-Bangladesh border in Tripura were abducted at gunpoint on Monday and are suspected to have been taken into the neighbouring country, police said on Tuesday.

Although National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), a banned militant group, which still has camps in Bangladesh is suspected to be behind the incident, police said the investigation was underway to be certain about the group's involvement.

Additional Inspector general of police (law and order), Tripura, Subrata Chakraborty told reporters at Agartala that a group of suspected militants abducted the three workers engaged by National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) to fence the border, from an interior place in Ambassa sub-division in Dhalai district. "One driver of a JCB, a supervisor and a labour contractor were abducted when they were levelling the ground to lay fence.

The place where they were working is about 100-meter from the border. They have been identified as Subrata Debnath, Subhash Biswas and Gana Tripura. According to our preliminary investigation, they have been taken to Bangladesh. Our efforts are on to trace and rescue them," he said.

Tripura shares about 856-km of the 4,096km-long Indo-Bangladesh border and some portions are still unfenced in South Tripura. This helps the militants cross border smugglers and illegal migrants to enter India.

Although security forces continued their combing operation in Dhalai and neighbouring districts, the incident raised questions about the vigil on the border by Border Security Force.