Agartala: Two men from Bihar were arrested with two foreign-made pistols, three magazines and eight rounds of live ammunition during a vehicle-checking operation near BSF Tripura Frontier headquarters on Agartala-Khowai road on Monday, police said.The arrests were made ahead of ADC Village Council elections scheduled for Sept 28 and the Durga Puja festivities, prompting heightened security across the state.The accused were identified as Suraj Kumar (29), from Lakhisarai district and Srikanth Kumar (36), from Vaishali district in Bihar. Police also recovered two mobile phones and three SIM cards from them.According to police, the duo arrived in Agartala by Deoghar Express on Saturday and stayed at a house in the northern part of the city. Their movements came under the scanner following a tip-off received by security agencies.Police said the two travelled from Damdamia area towards Agartala in a car carrying the weapons on Sunday night. Anticipating a vehicle check near BSF headquarters, they allegedly abandoned the car and tried to escape on foot. A joint team intercepted and arrested them around noon on Monday.SDPO Subrata Barman said investigators were probing the source of the firearms and the purpose of the duo’s visit to Agartala. The two were being questioned at New Capital Complex police station.Police are examining whether the accused were planning a major criminal activity and are trying to identify the weapons supplier and intended recipient in Tripura. Possible links to an interstate arms-trafficking network are also being probed.Investigators are checking whether the duo had visited Agartala earlier and are tracing their previous movements and local contacts. The accused could not produce valid licences or other legal documents for possessing the firearms and ammunition.The suspects were produced before a court, with police seeking five days’ remand.
