AGARTALA, April 20 (TIWN): Smuggling of drugs, arms, animal pieces, various contraband goods is rampant across the twelve kilometer unfenced Indo-Bangla international border at Sonamura.Taking to TIWN on Sunday evening, Border Security Force (BSF) DIG B S Tolia said, "We would further strengthen the security along the India's border with Bangladesh to check smuggling of drugs, arms and other contraband items”."The vigil would also be reinforced to stop trans-border movement of extremists and other criminal elements," Tolia added.He said: "It is a tough task to guard the unfenced mountainous borders with a full-proof security”.India would strengthen vigil along its border with Bangladesh to check drugs and arms smuggling besides movement of inimical elements, including militants, he mentioned.To prevent any untoward incident BSF has intensified vigil along Tripura’s 856-km-long border with Bangladesh. “We have been directed by our higher authorities in Delhi to intensify vigil along the border in the wake of reports that Tripura is being used as a corridor or transit point for entry of fundamentalist and terrorist elements into India”, said DIG B S Tolia.

The insurgents were using the Tripura-Mizoram-Bangladesh tri-junction as corridor, the security agencies, including the Assam Riffles, have been trying hard to stop infiltration of militants from across the border.

It is to be mentioned here that in a joint operation conducted by Assam Rifles personnel and Mizoram Police personnel on March 21 recovered seven AK-47 assault rifles, two AK-56 rifles, six US-made M-16 rifles, four MA-3 Mk-II rifles, two hand grenades, three kg of RDX, around 8,000 rounds of ammunition of different guns and 312 boxes of special and ordinary detonators.  

However, the police are yet to ascertain the destination of the weapons, state intelligence officials did not rule out the possibility of Bangladesh rebels belonging to the Chakma community being involved in the smuggling.  But they are also looking into the possibility of Tripura militants trying to get the weapons to create trouble ahead of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) election, said a highly placed source of police.