NLFT insurgent among four arrested in Tripura

The police have arrested fourpeople, including a member of the banned NLFT in Tripura'sDhalai district and recovered Rs 15 lakh unaccounted cash fromtheir possession, a senior officer said on Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of policemen on Wednesdayapprehended three of the four from Raishyabari market inGandacherra area, about 135 km from here.

During interrogation, the three admitted that theywere waiting there for some members of the National LiberationFront of Tripura (NLFT) to hand over the money, AssistantInspector General of Police Subrata Chakraborty said.

''Based on their inputs, one more person was arrestedin connection with the case,'' he said.

All the four were charged under the UnlawfulActivities (Prevention) Act, the officer said.

The state police had the information about extortionnotices being circulated by the banned outfit in Raishyabariarea, especially among construction agencies engaged in borderfencing work, Chakraborty said.

''In course of the investigation, it transpired that agroup of NLFT extremists with sophisticated arms led by BikramBahadur Jamatia was camping opposite to Raishyabari borderinside Bangladesh and engaged in extortion,'' the officer said.

He also alleged that some of the barbed wire fenceconstruction agencies were ''assisting extremist groups'' byproviding money clandestinely.

Tripura shares 856-km-long international border withneighbouring Bangladesh, of which around 67 km area isunfenced.

Four top leaders of the NLFT had surrendered with armsat the police headquarters here in December last year afterfacing acute food and financial crises in camps in Bangladesh.

The Centre had banned the NLFT in 1997 for unlawfulactivities.