AGARTALA, February 4 (TIWN): Tripura security forces including the Police, BSF Jawans and TSR have been put on high alert after two employees of the Border Roads Organization (BRO) were kidnapped on Monday from Mizoram. In the wake of the abduction, the police has launched a massive combing operation in villages on either side of the Tripura-Mizoram border to rescue the two, an engineer and a driver. BSF has been asked to increase vigilance along the eastern border of Tripura that is unfenced and often used by rebels to cross over to Bangladesh. Talking to TIWN today the BSF IG B N Sharma said that the concerned BSF jawans has already been put on high alert following the abduction of the two employees of the BRO. Adding to that he said that BSF security forces has been asked to increase vigilance along the eastern border of Tripura that is unfenced and often used by rebels to cross over to Bangladesh.

The National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) is behind the abduction. With the election to the 28-member Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) around the corner, it is believed NLFT will try and increase subversive activities.

According to the police sources the armed NLFT militants kidnapped as many as 22 construction workers of BRO including engineer Hokum Singh and driver Mohammad Buizul Islam from Tuipuibari village inside the Dampa Tiger Reserve in Mamit district on Monday afternoon. However this has triggered a huge resentment among the locals ahead of the ADC election here in Tripura scheduled to be held on the month of May, 2015.

According to a highly placed source, villagers of Raishyabari, Gandacherra bordering areas in Dhalai district, Karbook in Gomati district, Kanchanpur, Bhangmoon, Anandabazar and Gachiram areas have received large-amount contribution collection receipt from the militants. Following the issue, the villagers are passing days with a fear that any time the militants can stage massive attack in those villages ahead of TTAADC election.

Police, Assam Rifles and Tripura State Rifles (TSR) have been put on alert in Kanchanpur in north Tripura.

Beside, the Mizoram police recently have requested their Tripura counterpart to trace two General Reserve Engineering Force (GREF) members who were kidnapped on Monday.

There is a suspicion that the extremists fled with the kidnapped men to Bangladesh. Numerous abductions have occurred in Tripura-Mizoram-Bangladesh border over the last years, mainly to extract ransom.

Sources said the extremists kidnapped 14 people, but released the rest except two. NLFT leader Krishnamohan Jamatia believed to have led the raid.