A group of cross-border smugglers on Tuesday tried to attack a team of on-duty Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and attempted to snatch the weapons of the jawans near northern Tripura, but the bordering guarding force thwarted the daring move, officials said.
Significantly, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) assisted the BSF in dispersing the smugglers.
Officials said that a team of BSF jawans on duty near the India-Bangladesh border under Magroli gram panchayat in Unakoti district came under attack from a group of 15-20 Bangladeshi smugglers.
“Alert BSF troops in the area tried to intercept a group of Bangladeshi smugglers while they were trying to smuggle various contraband items. Upon being ordered to halt, the smugglers tried to lash out at the BSF jawans with sharp weapons and tried to snatch the jawans' arms and ammunition and abused the security personnel in filthy language,” the official said.
He added that amidst the confrontation between BSF jawans and smugglers, some Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel from the other side came near the border fence and assisted the Indian forces by putting up a collective effort to thwart the smugglers and helped the BSF jawans amidst the commotion.
After additional BSF troops arrived at the spot, the smugglers managed to flee. The official said that the BSF and BGB personnel were found to have exercised significant restraint by not shooting at the smugglers.
Tripura, which is surrounded by Bangladesh on three sides, shares an 856-km-long international border, parts of which are still unfenced in patches due to local disputes on land and demarcation-related issues.
After the unrest began in Bangladesh in July, especially after the fall of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5, the infiltration into India's northeastern states increased to a large extent forcing the BSF to strengthen the vigil along the international border.
A BSF spokesperson said that after the Bangladesh unrest began in June-July, the border guarding force has intensified its domination and operations along the 856-km India-Bangladesh border in Tripura to prevent infiltration, exfiltration, and trans-border crimes including smuggling of contraband.
The BSF, on a number of occasions, foiled several infiltration attempts by hundreds of Bangladeshi nationals comprising both Hindus and Muslims.
Manipur Police arrest 11 militants, recover large cache of arms, ammunition
The Manipur Police arrested 11 militants belonging to various banned outfits and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition during the past 24 hours, officials said here on Friday.
PM Modi unveils 21-point action plan at 6th BIMSTEC Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday presented a comprehensive 21-point action plan during the sixth BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, laying out an ambitious road map for cooperation across diverse sectors.
ED raids multiple premises of 'Empuraan' producer Gokulam Gopalan
Amid the controversy surrounding Malayalam film ‘Empuraan’ starring superstar Mohanlal, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted raids at multiple premises linked to film’s producer Gokulam Gopalan.
SC declines PIL seeking restriction of social media platforms for kids below 13 years
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking urgent judicial intervention to regulate access to social media platforms for children below 13 years of age.
BIMSTEC Summit: PM Modi, Yunus meet amid strained ties
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a bilateral meeting with Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor of Bangladeshi interim government, on the sidelines of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok.
Rupee strengthens against dollar amid Trump's reciprocal tariffs
The Indian rupee witnessed sharp gains on Friday at below 85 against dollar, as the dollar index and oil prices dropped sharply amid concerns over recession in the US economy after the reciprocal tariffs were announced.
Quad to send $20 million relief support to earthquake-ravaged Myanmar
Quad members Australia, India, Japan, and the United States on Friday collectively committed over $20 million in humanitarian assistance to support the relief efforts for the earthquake-devastated Myanmar.
'Waqf Bill will benefit Muslims, no threat to religious sites,' says Shahabuddin Razvi
Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi, the National President of All India Muslim Jamaat, expressed his support for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, stating that it would significantly benefit Muslims and ensure the betterment of their socio-economic conditions.