Suspected drone from Bangladesh found in Tripura border village, police launch probe to identify flight plan

A police team rushed to the spot and started an investigation to confirm the drone’s origin and purpose of flight in the sensitive border region.

“After getting information, we (police team) rushed to the spot and seized the drone. Currently, the drone is under custody at Belonia police station. We are planning to initiate forensic examination of the drone to try to retrieve data to know its last flight path. Till now, we haven’t confirmed its origin”, said a senior police officer.

Tripura shares 856 km of international border with Bangladesh, including land-based and riverine border, most of which is covered with barbed wire fences, except a few patches which are still unfenced due to local disputes.

The barbed wire fencing process started nearly 20 years ago as per the Indira-Mujib Treaty of 1972 aimed at ensuring security of the nation, preventing infiltration, insurgency and reducing border-related crimes.

In the first week of March, BSF troops have successfully thwarted several smuggling attempts and seized a huge quantity of cattle, rice, narcotics, and other contraband items worth Rs. 2.88 crore. A series of 61 simultaneous operations and coordinated patrols were organised to prevent smuggling and other crimes along the border.

Vigil along the international border was tightened following assurances from the Central Government that the nation’s borders are well protected and no illegal immigration would be allowed in the wake of violence in Bangladesh, especially in the context of recent turbulence in the neighbouring country.

A series of infiltration of Bangladeshi and Rohingya nationals were thwarted and several foreign nationals arrested since August last year when the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government fell in Bangladesh.

The then BSF Tripura frontier Inspector General Patel Piyush Purushottam Das visited the riverine border with gaps in fencing and took stock of the steps from field commanders to ensure security in the areas and stressed on using non-lethal weapons to prevent trans-border smuggling.