BSF jawan injured, Bangladeshi smuggler killed in border clash at Sonamura

A Bangladeshi smuggler died and a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan was injured during a clash along India-Bangladesh border with Tripura on Friday late evening, officials said.

A BSF spokesman on Friday night said that a group of 20 to 25 Bangladeshi smugglers and miscreants intruded inside Indian territory near the area of BOP (Border Outpost) at Putia in western Tripura’s Sepahijala District and indulged in smuggling in alliance with their Indian counterparts.

“When cautioned by the BSF patrol party, the Bangladeshi smugglers and miscreants attacked the Indian border guarding troops injuring a BSF jawan seriously,” he said.

The Bangladeshi smugglers continued their attack on the BSF personnel and they even tried to snatch a BSF personnel's weapons, the spokesman said, adding that in order to protect his own life, the jawan fired one round of non-lethal PAG (Pump Action Gun) in self-defence.

The Bangladeshi smuggler was injured by the PAG shot and he has been evacuated to a hospital in Sepahijala District and later succumbed to his injuries. The BSF jawan is also in the hospital undergoing treatment.

Further details are awaited.

Meanwhile, the BSF jawans have arrested 15 Bangladesh nationals, including three women and seven children, in Tripura for illegally entering India.

A BSF spokesman said that the 13 Bangladesh nationals and the three Indian touts were arrested on Thursday night from Kailashahar in the Unakoti district in northern Tripura.

The three Indian touts were arrested for facilitating the Bangladeshis' entry into the country without any legal documents and passports. The apprehended Indian touts were identified as Kajal Das, Ajit Das, and Prasanjit Debnath.

Additionally, a special operation was launched in association with Tripura Police in which two Bangladesh nationals were apprehended in West Tripura when they were trying to cross over to Bangladesh.

The BSF in another crackdown on cross-border narcotics smuggling, troops of the BSF detected suspicious movement of Indian smugglers attempting to transport illicit items across the India-Bangladesh border in the Sepahijala district.

Upon being challenged by BSF personnel, the smugglers abandoned the consignment and fled toward the Indian side.

A thorough search of the area led to the recovery and seizure of 20 packets containing 20,000 Yaba tablets, valued at Rs 2 crore.

Additionally, BSF troops seized other contraband items worth Rs 16.80 lakh from different locations along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Tripura.