AGARTALA, Feb 17 � A splinter group of All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) headed by Sachin Debberma has �reportedly� joined hands with its arch rival National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), most powerful outfit in the State.
Sources confirmed that ATTF had suffered a vertical split over sharing of funds leading to exit of self-styled rebel leader Sachin Debbarma from the outfit about one-and-half month ago. Immediately after the split, the ATTF supremo Ranjit Debbarma had taken shelter in an undisclosed location in Bangladesh to skip the attention of law-enforcement agencies.
According to latest intelligence inputs, a group of 14-15 hardcore cadres of ATTF headed by Sachin Debbarma merged with NLFT to carry on the subversive activities in Tripura. With the �induction� of defiant rebel leader, the NLFT is believed to have strengthened its grip in some areas.
The outlawed group has already intensified its activities along the unfenced border areas to stall the ongoing border fencing work. The killing of an engineer of a construction company near Vangmoon in North Tripura district, abduction of 11 labourers at Govindabari in Dhalai district are part of the NLFT�s game plan to stall the fencing work.
Of late, the security lapses have been augmented by setting up six more Border Outpost (BOPs) in the State�s eastern part, said AK Jain, the Inspector General of BSF Tripura Frontier on Thursday.
One more BSF battalion is expected to arrive here by March 31 to ensure full-proof border vigil, he said adding that the fencing work would get expedited after construction of approach near Indo-Bangla border.
