Agartala, November 24:
A late-night scare in Tripura’s border subdivision Kailashahar turned violent when four youths carrying guns were thrashed by locals, who suspected them to be dacoits. The incident took place at Tilakpur near Unakoti District Hospital on Sunday late night.
Residents, already alarmed by a sharp rise in theft, cattle lifting and cross-border crimes in the Bangladesh-bordering town, surrounded the youths after reportedly seeing them roaming suspiciously.
The presence of guns with the group further strengthened the villagers’ suspicion, leading to a mob lynching before firefighters and the police could intervene.
The injured youths — identified as Dilwar Hossain, Arsad Ali, Suhel Mia and Asraf Ali from Tilakpur and Dhepaschara areas — were rescued by the Fire Service personnel and handed over to the police. They were admitted to Unakoti District Hospital in critical condition.
Villagers claimed that Tilakpur and surrounding areas have been witnessing near-regular nighttime burglaries. Despite repeated written and verbal complaints, police allegedly failed to conduct proper night patrolling, leading residents to take matters into their own hands.
Kapuraj Sinha, Chief of Goldharpur Gram Panchayat, said: “The youths were behaving suspiciously and gave inconsistent answers. On searching them, guns were found. Villagers caught and beat them before calling the fire service and police. Since police do not patrol regularly, we are planning to form night guard teams ourselves.”
Tapas Malakar, Officer-in-Charge of Kailashahar Police Station, confirmed the seizure of two guns suspected to be country made or air guns though confirmation is pending and an investigation ongoing.
“Locals detained the youths and beat them. Firefighters rescued them and brought them to the hospital. We recovered two guns and are verifying all angles,” said OC Malakar.
Police also seized the bike on which the accused arrived.
One youth is reportedly from Phulbarikandi village, while the others are from Hira Chhura ADC Village.
Kailashahar, located near the Bangladesh border, has recently seen frequent petty crimes, suspected cattle smuggling routes, and cross-border movement. Sunday night’s incident has sparked fresh panic across the subdivision.
Police say vigilance has been intensified and the situation is under control.
