Agartala, Oct 12 (PTI) 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 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. They were subsequently brought to the police station for further legal proceedings.
The latest arrests are part of the third phase of the police crackdown in connection with the incident, officials said, adding that efforts were underway to apprehend other accused named in the case.
Bhowmik said police were treating the vandalism of the senior officer’s vehicle seriously and would initiate legal action against everyone found involved in the incident. The investigation would continue until the remaining accused were traced and brought to justice, he said.
The four accused are scheduled to be produced before the Sonamura court on Monday, the officer added.
The incident took place at Thalibari on the day of counting of votes in the TTAADC village committee elections and reportedly triggered tension in the area. Police subsequently launched an investigation to identify those involved in the vandalism and initiated a series of arrests.
The latest operation was conducted in Dhuppchhara Para as part of the ongoing investigation. The police team, supported by TSR personnel, carried out the operation in the locality before taking the accused to the police station.
Officials said the investigation was continuing and further arrests could not be ruled out as police pursued other persons allegedly involved in the incident.
Police have reiterated that those found responsible for vandalising the Inspector General’s vehicle would face legal consequences. The latest arrests mark another step in the ongoing probe into the incident, which occurred amid the counting-related developments during the village committee elections.
The police have not indicated when the remaining accused are likely to be apprehended.
