From Our Correspondent
Agartala: Alarmed at the severe financial crunch, the banned outfit National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) looks set to intensify kidnapping and extortion bid to tide over the ‘crisis’.
According to highly places sources, NLFT leaders had a meeting at an undisclosed location in Bangladesh and finalised the future plan for revival of the outfit.
In the meeting, rebel leaders had expressed serious concern over the severe financial crunch over the past one year.
To tide over the situation, the outfit plans to resort kidnapping in remote areas to receive huge ransom.
Besides, kidnapping and extortion, the outfit would engage in drug smuggling and arms business to earn money in order to revive the outlawed organization.
Sources said, the NLFT, which has around 150 cadres has been failing to pay salary to its cadres for the past one year leading to unrest among lower cadres.
In spite of adverse situation, the outlawed group has been able to recruit 15/20 cadres and they are getting arms training.
According to intelligence inputs, rebel leaders and cadres are using Mizoram and Myanmar border to sneak into Bangladesh territory.
Apart from this border area, they are also using unfenced border area for cross border movement.
The outfit has 15-20 hideouts in Bangladesh from where it has been trying to revive the insurgency. However, NLFT supremo Biswamohan Debbarma has left Bangladesh after arrest of ATTF president Ranjit Debbarma by Bangladesh law enforcement agencies.
There are indications Biswamohan is now staying in Myanmar.
Earlier, the outfit used to collect huge money by kidnapping innocent villagers, extorting money from construction agencies.
However, the situation has changed a lot over the past few years due to proactive steps taken by the security forces and erection of barbed wire fencing along Indo-Bangla border.
Out of total 833.60 km sanctioned border area, a total of 669.29 km Indo-Bangla border has been fenced so far while 164.30 km border is yet to be fenced. The remaining portion of the fencing work is expected to be completed by next year, according to official sources
