No terror group active in Tripura: Police chief

Agartala, Dec 4 (IANS) There is no terrorist outfit currently active in Tripura but some of the cadres of the state's extremist groups are hiding in neighbouring Bangladesh, Director General of Police Akhil Kumar Shukla said here.

Also, no militant outfits were involved in the abduction of four Tripura Gramin Bank officials, he told the media late on Sunday.

The four were kidnapped on November 24 by a gang comprising surrendered militants and local miscreants. However, the kidnappers released them on November 30 after taking a ransom of Rs 50,000 from the relatives of the hostages.

The DGP said that nine people, including four surrendered extremists, have been arrested and over Rs 48.85 lakh and a small vehicle recovered from them. "More people likely to be arrested in connection with the abduction," he added.

The United Forums of Bank Unions, a body of various bank employees associations, thanked the police for the hostages' release and the arrest of the culprits and recovering the ransom.

Meanwhile, the outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) in a statement said the outfit is now in a dialogue with the Government of India for amicable and peaceful solutions to the age-old political problem of Tripura and hence, its normal activities are suspended until further notice.

In its statement, mailed to various media organisations, the NLFT said that its members are not collecting any subscriptions or ransom from any people. "We therefore warn all concerned to refrain from such unlawful activities," the statement added.

Police officials said there was not a single extremist-related incident since 2015 in Tripura, which was earlier ravaged by terrorism for four decades.

However, police and intelligence officials had earlier apprehended that terrorist activities might resurface in the state ahead of the crucial assembly elections in February 2018.

(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)