BSF Arrests Bangladeshi PCJSS-Santu Armed Cadre While Crossing Indo-Bangladesh Border in Tripura

Agartala: An alleged armed cadre of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) led by Santu Larma was arrested by the Border Security Force (BSF) while attempting to cross the Indo-Bangladesh border into Tripura, illegally.

The accused has been identified as Apollo Chakma, an alleged cadre of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS).

The arrest took place today at Gate No. 2 of the Amrit Para BSF camp in Dhalai district. Apollo Chakma, the son of Bijay Chakma and a resident of Panchari in Khagrachari District, Bangladesh, was apprehended during a border transgression. BSF personnel recovered a walkie-talkie set from him.

He was subsequently handed over to the Rashyabari Police Station. Tripura Police have registered a case against him under various charges, including illegal entry into India and cow smuggling.

The PCJSS, headed by Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma (commonly known as Santu Larma), who also serves as Chairman of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council, has been labelled a terrorist organisation by the Guwahati High Court. In its judgment dated September 5, 2024, in the National Investigation Agency vs Rohmingliana case involving arms smuggling by PCJSS cadres, the court described the group in this manner while adjudicating the seizure of weapons.

Security agencies allege that the PCJSS has increasingly functioned as a cross-border smuggling syndicate, engaging in the trafficking of arms, drugs, Indian cattle, and Burmese cigarettes along the Indo-Bangladesh frontier. Public outrage in South Tripura peaked in July-August 2025, with large-scale protests accusing the group of drug trafficking and corrupting local youth.

Amid Bangladesh’s political transition under the interim government, reports indicate that the withholding of funds for the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council has heightened desperation within the PCJSS, leading to a surge in cross-border criminal activities by its cadres.

The outfit has also faced accusations of collaborating with anti-India elements in the past.

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