AGARTALA, March 4 (TIWN): In the last couple of days an armed group of militants from the banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) had kidnapped around 5 to 6 people of Gandacherra. And the militants had threatened the family members of the kidnapped persons not to open their mouth regarding the kidnappings, said sources.According to sources, the militants entered the Indian territory through pillar number 2271/72 at Gandacherra because the barbed wire fencing construction work along the Indo-Bangla international border at Gandacherra of Tripura of pillar number 2271/72 has stalled for past couple of months due to frequent incidents of militant attacks, kidnappings and killings. The sources further said that Coastal Projects Limited, a nationally reputed construction agency, which was engaged in construction of barbed wire fence in the Tripura-Bangla frontiers under supervision of NPCC, suffered massive damages in the hands of belligerent groups, mainly the banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT).Out of a 52 Km stretch of international boundary in Kanchanpur sub-division, border fence erection was reported complete in 30 Km area.

Coastal Projects Limited, which was awarded the work order for erecting fence in the rather rugged and challenging terrain with 18 Km borderline ranging between Simanapur to Jamaraipara in the area, lost several workers, engineers and pieces of equipments apart from regular extortion threats from militants.

Speaking about damages sustained by the agency during its operation in Tripura, a source inside Coastal Projects Limited on Tuesday said that a senior engineer from Kerala – GS Muni was killed in a NLFT ambush way back in 2011. Swapan Deb and Nitish Ghosh – two workers engaged for erecting barbed wire in the area were kidnapped in April, 2013. The duo has no trace till date.

However, with stalling of barbed wire fence construction in the entire stretch, grave situations have arisen including national security crisis due to uncontrolled possibilities of militant intrusion and illegal migration from the Bangla soil.

"We do not see strong possibilities of intrusion of Islamic terrorists like JMB and others to enter into the state. But the borders in the Feni and Moulavibazar districts of Bangladesh are still vulnerable, so we have put all the border outposts (BOPs) in alert," a senior BSF officer said.