NLFT insurgents fled from camps in Bangladesh, surrendered

Agartala, Nov 22: Three insurgents of outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura, who were sheltered in camps at Satchhari in Sylhet division of Bangladesh, escaped and surrenderded before security forces with arms and amunition at a village in West Tripura district.

The police today said Pabanjoy Reang (25), Ananga Mohan Tripura (21) and Nripendra Tripura (20) fled from their camps and entered into Sidhai border village before surrendering to the BSF last Wednesday. They were handed over to the state police yesterday.

The insurgents told the police that an "anarchic" situation prevailed in the makeshift camps in Bangladesh and that rebel leaders were locked in bitter feud over who would lead the insurgent organisation. This resulted in an acute shortage of food and money prompting them to flee the camps, they confided.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar had recently said that despite best cooperation by Bangladesh government, some insurgents hailing from Tripura were still using the soil of that country to carry on subversive activity.

Sarkar had said the camps belonged to banned National Liberation Front of Tripura and added his government did not know if insurgents of another outlawed insurgent outfit All Tripura Tiger Force had any camp in that country.

PTI