Agartala, August 11: Two jhumia villagers kidnapped by NLFT ultras from Joychandrapara area under Gandacherra sub—division late night on Saturday are being held captive in Bangladesh, officials said.

Asked about the latest progress in search of the kidnapped duo, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Nepal Das said that combing search operations were launched in the area and adjoining locations near the Indo-Bangla international border to rescue them. He said that Border Security Forces (BSF) jawans were alerted after the incident, more because an alert was sounded across all NE states ahead of the 68^th Independence Day from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

A highly placed source in the state police on Sunday said that ultras belonging to the banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) outfit kidnapped two villagers from JC Para.  A group of armed cadres of the banned militant outfit kidnapped Udairam reang and Joriham Reang at gunpoint and pulled back into Bangladeshi soil, the source said.

Referring to the issue, IGP Das today said that it is suspected that the ultras have got hideouts on the other side of the border.

The official further said that vigil was intensified along the Indo-Bangla international border in all parts of the state. Stress would be laid on the patches of unfenced border, he said.

The NLFT militants could kidnap the two villagers since a segment of the border in JC Para area is still unfenced; the concerned agency is working on erecting the fence as soon as possible, IG Das said.