BSF Mahila Praharis Foil Smuggling Bid At India-Bangladesh Border In Tripura, Smugglers Had Sharp-Edged Weapons

A significant smuggling attempt across the Indo-Bangla international border was thwarted on Sunday (12 January) by vigilant Border Security Force (BSF) Mahila Praharis in the Rahimpur area of the Ashabari border outpost in Tripura’s Sepahijala district.

A BSF official reported that the Mahila Praharis recovered a large quantity of sugar and other contraband items from smugglers armed with sharp-edged weapons.

“Alert mahila praharis of the BSF fired two rounds from lethal weapons under compelling circumstances around 6.45 am today when a large group of smugglers armed with sharp-edged weapons attempted to smuggle contraband,” the official said.

The BSF clarified that its personnel typically use non-lethal weapons and rubber bullets along the Tripura-Bangladesh border to minimise fatalities and control crimes.

However, they resort to lethal weapons under dire circumstances, such as severe attacks from cross-border smugglers or criminals.

Mahila Praharis, first inducted into the BSF in 2009, are deployed across India’s international borders, including Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Tripura.

These women personnel undergo rigorous training in drills, self-defence techniques, and the use of automatic and semi-automatic weapons.

The BSF has often faced assaults and attempts to snatch weapons by border criminals, many of whom are from Bangladesh.

The official noted that parts of Tripura’s 856-km-long border with Bangladesh remain unfenced due to local disputes over land and demarcation issues, posing additional challenges to border security.