Agartala, April 20: Two Bangladeshi thieves were apprehended by locals in Nandalal Das Para, a village under Ishanpur Gram Panchayat in Simna Assembly constituency, area close to the barbed-wire fencing along the international border with Bangladesh.
This particular area has long been plagued by frequent thefts allegedly committed by Bangladeshi intruder.
Despite the presence of the Border Security Force (BSF), villagers claim that Bangladeshi thieves continue to cut through the fencing and cross over with ease.
On Sunday early morning, a local farmer spotted three unfamiliar individuals sitting near the edge of a vegetable field close to a forested area.
Suspicious of their presence, he alerted fellow villagers, who quickly mobilized and surrounded the field and forest area. The BSF was also informed.
During the villagers’ operation, three suspected Bangladeshi thieves were encircled, however, one of them managed to escape, slipping past the BSF and crossing back over the fence into Bangladesh. The remaining two were caught, roughed up by the villagers, and then handed over to the BSF.
The intruders were found carrying sharp tools including a machete and a wire-cutting machine, among other equipment.
Villagers lament that for nearly eight to nine months of the year, the area suffers from power outages, which the thieves exploit to breach the border fencing under cover of darkness. They steal cattle and other valuables, leaving the residents in a constant state of fear and frustration.
