Villagers set smuggler’s belongings on fire following youth’s murder in Tripura

Agartala, Sep 21 (PTI) Angry villagers on Sunday set all the belongings of an active female member of a gold smuggling racket on fire for her suspected role in the murder of a 23-year-old youth in Tripura’s Sepahijala district, police said.

The woman, identified as Ruksana Begum, a resident of NC Nagar under Sonamura police station area, was arrested following the recovery of 12 gold biscuits valued at Rs 1.50 crore from her house on Saturday.

“Suleman Hussain, a member of a gold smuggling racket, was found dead near Sonamura sub-divisional hospital on September 10. During the investigation, Ruksana Begum’s name came to light as one involved in gold smuggling from across the border,” Officer in Charge (OC), Sonamura police station, Tapas Das told PTI.

Those suspected to be involved in the murder are absconding, Das said, adding that Ruksana was not named in the FIR.

Das said, “Smugglers of Bangladesh had thrown gold biscuits on the Indian side, and Suleman was supposed to collect them as he usually does. But on a particular day, he did not find gold biscuits. The smugglers probably murdered Suleman, suspecting that he had taken away the biscuits”.

“As the news spread to his village, angry people gathered and took out all the belongings of the woman and set them on fire, alleging that the youth was murdered because of her activities,” he said. PTI PS NN