23 February,2026 02:36 PM IST | Agartala | mid-day online correspondent
The police have filed a case against Apollo Chakma for cow smuggling and illegal entry into India, among other charges. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on Monday arrested Apollo Chakma, an alleged armed cadre of the Parbotto Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) headed by Santu Larma, chairman of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council. Chakma, a resident of Panchari in Khagrachari district of Bangladesh, was apprehended while attempting to cross the Indo-Bangladesh border through Gate No 2 of Amrit Para BSF camp in Dhalai district of Tripura. During the operation, BSF recovered a walkie-talkie set from his possession.
He was handed over to Rashyabari Police Station. The police have registered a case against him under multiple charges, including cow smuggling and illegal entry into India.
The PCJSS faction led by Larma has been described as a terrorist organisation by the Guwahati High Court in its judgment dated September 5, 2024, in the case of National Investigation Agency vs Rohmingliana, which pertained to arms smuggling by PCJSS cadres.
The outfit is alleged to have transformed into an Indo-Bangladesh border smuggling syndicate and stands accused of involvement in trafficking of arms, drugs, Indian cows, and Burmese cigarettes.
Large-scale public protests against PCJSS took place in south Tripura in July-August 2025 over its purported role in drug trafficking and negatively influencing the youth of the region.
Under the interim government of Bangladesh, PCJSS is said to have associated with anti-India elements. With funds for the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council reportedly withheld, the group has allegedly grown desperate, leading to a rise in cross-border criminal activities by its cadres.
The Odisha government has deported 73 of the 77 Bangladeshi infiltrators residing illegally across the state, Chief Minister (CM) Mohan Charan Majhi informed the Assembly on Monday.
In a written reply to a question by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Padma Lochan Panda, Majhi said the action was initiated following directions from the Union Home Ministry.
"As per the instructions issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on May 2, 2025, all superintendents of police were directed to expedite the process of identifying Bangladeshi infiltrators residing illegally in different districts," he stated.
The CM added that so far, the identities of 2,261 Bangladeshi suspects have been verified. Of them, 2,184 were found to be Indian citizens and subsequently released.
"The remaining 77 people were identified as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, of whom 73 have been deported," Majhi said.
Among those deported, 24 were from Bhubaneswar Urban Police District, 21 from Jagatsinghpur, 15 from Cuttack Urban Police District, six from Berhampur Police District, three from Kandhamal, one from Koraput, and three from Kendrapara, he informed the House.
(With PTI inputs)
