Monday, November 21 2005 13:06 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

TRIPURA: Four persons, including three jawans of the Border Security Force (BSF) were killed and six others - three jawans and three civilians were injured when suspected insurgents of proscribed National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) ambushed a BSF patrol guarding the border at Raishyabari in South Tripura district today.

The attack took place when BSF jawans were patrolling the Indo-Bangladesh border at Rashiyabari at about 8-30 a.m to provide protection to the workers of NBCC, a construction company engaged in the erection of border fence and guarding the border, Additional DIG (operations) S K Sud said.

The ultras showered bullets from automatic weapons killing the three jawans on the spot and injured seven others, including three jawans, he said adding they were later identified as Ram Babu (havildar), Biswajit Sinha (jawan) and N Narayanan.

A civilian who was critically injured in the ambush succumbed to his injuries on way to the hospital, he said. Sud said the ultras might have sneaked in to Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh as the site of the ambush was just 400 metres away from the border.

However, it was not known whether the ultras have looted the weapons of the jawans.

Additional number of BSF jawans have rushed to the spot from nearby camps and have launched a combing operation in the area, he added. Search operations have also been launched by the police.