Tripura Police have arrested 18 people in connection with an attack on Border Security Force (BSF) personnel at Ashabari in Sepahijala district, leaving one of the 19 accused named in the FIR still absconding.
The latest arrests took place late on Thursday night, when police detained eight more suspects. They had arrested the first 10 accused on November 3. Four BSF personnel sustained injuries in the incident, in which suspected smugglers and villagers allegedly assaulted the personnel while they were on duty.
A police official said the remaining accused would be arrested soon and confirmed that the investigation was continuing.
The arrests came amid a state-wide review of law and order by Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday. The Ashabari attack featured in the discussions, which also focused on tackling cross-border smuggling.
Senior officials attending the meeting included Chief Secretary JK Sinha, in-charge Director General of Police GS Rao, Home Secretary Abhishek Singh and BSF Inspector General Princee Rani. Representatives of the CRPF and Assam Rifles also took part.
Officials briefed the meeting on the attack and the progress of the investigation. At that point, police had arrested 10 of the 19 people named in the FIR.
Saha called for strict legal action against those involved and directed the authorities to strengthen measures against cross-border smuggling. He said attacks on security personnel carrying out their duties would not be tolerated and instructed the departments concerned to ensure that everyone found responsible faced legal action.
