Agartala: Three persons, including two timber merchants, who were abducted by the outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) from neighbouring Mizoram’s Mamit district have been freed following joint police action by the two neighbouring states, police said on Thursday.
Two timber merchants - one from Assam and the other from Tripura and their driver also from Tripura were kidnapped from Rajibnagar, about three km from Tripura border, by the gun toting NLFT ultras on November 25 last.
The three abducted persons after their release from the clutches of the militants sought refuge at the border outpost (BOP) of BSF in Mizoram yesterday.
Today they left for their homes, police said.
After the abduction of the three persons Tripura Finance Minister Badal Chowdhury had visited the bordering areas on November 28 and alleged that the NLFT insurgents were trying to use the soil of Mizoram ahead of the Assembly elections in state due in February next.
"The NLFT insurgents were trying to enter Tripura before the elections and the Mizoram government despite knowing everything was not taking any step against them," Chowdhury had told reporters.
"Insurgents who have their bases in Bangladesh are not being able to enter into Tripura due to barbed wire fencing, strict vigil of security forces and people?s resistance. The tribal people were guarding their hamlets at nights to prevent the ultras coming from Bangladesh, so the ultras are now using the soil of Mizoram," he alleged.
PTI
