AGARTALA, July 5 (TIWN / IANS): A red corner notice would be served soon to track a senior Tripura government official who has remained absconding for nine days after allegedly raping a woman, official said here on Tuesday. The Tripura government, immediately after coming to know of the incident, suspended the official Panna Ahmed, 44, who was Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Sonamura sub-division of Sepahijala district. "The state government has requested the Union Home Ministry to take necessary steps to issue a red corner notice to track the official," West Tripura district police chief Abhijit Saptarshi told IANS. "MHA would ask CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) to issue the red corner notice on behalf of the Interpol," he said adding that they have already issued a warrant of arrest and published a general notice in the local newspapers with Ahmed's photograph. The official said the lookout notice would also be published in the newspapers published outside the state.

Demanding arrest of the official, various opposition political parties, including the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and Trinamool Congress, have been organising protest demonstration in front of the official residence of Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and various other places in the state almost every day since June 27.

Ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist's state secretary Bijan Dhar told media that if the officer is guilty, he should be punished. A Muslim woman filed an FIR with the West Agartala police station here on June 27 that Ahmed, a state civil service official, called her at his private residence here and raped her. "After getting report from the District Magistrate and police, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar ordered suspension of Ahmed with immediate effect," a top Tripura government official told IANS. 

"The government also asked the West Tripura District Magistrate and police authorities to separately inquire into the incident and take appropriate action."

The police have been raiding possible locations to trace the official and question him.