Tripura barber ordered to report to Ahmedabad by NIA following raid

Agartala: National Investigation Agency sleuths had asked a barber from Tripura to report to an address located in Ahmedabad after conducting an hours-long search operation in his house located at Kailashahar in Unakoti District.

Paritosh Shil, a barber by profession, told media persons that the police, TSR, and a posse of officials in plain clothes arrived at his doorstep at the crack of dawn on Wednesday.

“They showed me a piece of paper and wanted to conduct a search operation in my house. I politely invited them in and cooperated with the police. They searched the whole house, scanned my property-related documents, and then left. While going back, they carried two of my bank passbooks,” Shil added.

According to his description, the team that raided his house consisted of five officials in plain clothes, uniformed cops from Kailashahar police station, and TSR troopers.

“I didn't have any idea as to where the plain-clothed officials had arrived from, but from the conversation of the police officers and TSR troopers, I could sense that they were from the National Investigation Agency (NIA),” said Shil.

He had been instructed to report to an address in Ahmedabad for further proceedings. “I have been asked to reach an address in Ahmedabad on November 20. During the interrogation, the official showed me a picture of a person named Rahim and asked me whether I know him. When I refused, they told me that as many as 13 calls were made from my mobile phone to his number. Later, they seized my mobile phone as well,” he added.

The NIA had conducted multiple raids in various locations of Tripura as well.

The National agency has been investigating a case related to the illegal infiltration in Tripura, and the raids conducted on Wednesday were also in connection with the investigation of the old case, a top official of the Tripura Police Department has said.