SHILLONG, Jan 6 - Suspected Bangladeshi robbers are regularly carrying out brazen attacks on Indian citizens deep inside Indian territory in the Jaintia Hills region, taking advantage of the unfenced international border.
On Saturday night, two persons were attacked by a Bangladeshi gang, which resulted in serious injuries to one of the victims. The incident occurred at Sawkha near Lamin village close to the Dawki border with Bangladesh. Tyngshain Khonglah who had multiple injuries was rushed to a hospital in Shillong, while the other victim, Ramius Khonglah, is recuperating at a Dawki hospital, sources said on Monday.
According to sources, around 8-10 suspected Bangladeshi robbers set up a road blockade with boulders, about 7 km from the Indo-Bangla border. The incident took place on an isolated stretch of road connecting Dawki and Amlarem and which runs parallel to the international border and is in a forest area.
The victims were returning from a wedding party, when the robbers attacked them, snatched their money, mobile phones and other valuables and tried to drag them into Bangladesh across the porous border. �The intention was to kidnap them and demand ransom,� the sources said.
This was the second attack by robbers this month. On Friday, robbers attacked another marriage party in the same area, which resulted in injuries to three people.
The sources said robbers have been targeting people returning from marriage parties. This indicates that Bangladeshi criminals have accomplices in India who provide inputs. �The robbers were not carrying firearms, but were armed with machetes, sticks and stones,� the sources said, adding that one person was attacked with a machete and another was hit with a stone on his head.
This area of Jaintia Hills is unfenced, and some NGOs have been demanding that the fence be set up from the Zero Line and not 150 yards away. Bangladesh has objected to the fence being built from Zero Line, resulting in a stalemate.
�They were suspected Bangladeshis. These robbers have been targeting people going to marriages to get their jewellery and other costly items. The matter is being investigated by police,� West Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner Garod LSN Dykes said over phone. He said the BSF has been asked to join the investigation with state police. The attack occurred just a few kilometres from the BSF�s Border Out Post in Dawki.