Agartala, Dec. 29: The banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) has resorted to the fake currency business after exhausting all sources of earning. Three groups of militants are currently moving in South and North Tripura and Dhalai districts of the state with fake currencies in the denomination of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, official sources here said.
The top brass of the outfit, based in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, has directed the NLFT activists and their overground agents to fetch genuine currencies worth Rs 40,000 in exchange of Rs 1 lakh fake currencies, the sources said, adding a massive manhunt was on to nab the activists.
The sources said NLFT chief Biswamohan Debbarma took thehelp of the ISI and Bangladesh?s Directorate General Forces Intelligence (DGFI) for procuring a sophisticated machine made in Thailand to print fake currency notes. The machine was installed at the NLFT?s permanent camp at Samusyuamura in the Chittagong Hill-Tracts in the last week of September, the sources said.
With stepped-up anti-insurgency operations by security forces and increasing awareness among the tribal people against militants, the underground tribal outfit is finding it difficult to cling to its favourite means of earning revenue ? abduction of non-tribal people.
The family of leading tea planter Yogabrata Chakraborty had paid Rs 30 lakh for his release in 1996. However, Chakraborty, a heart patient, died before he was release.In 1997, NLFT militants extorted Rs 19 lakh for releasing agricultural scientist Subir Kumar Pradhan.
Growing resistance from tribals, has led to a drastic reduction of ?tax? collection.