Though Kolkata Police's attempts to trace the owner of the truck that carried a cache of ammunition to Kolkata has drawn a blank, Intelligence agencies have intensified their operations along the Indo-Bangla border to track down terrorist outfits operating here.
Indian agencies have begun their operations in small towns and villages on the Indian side adjacent to Kusthia, Khulna, Chittagong hill tracks, Ukhia, Satkhira, Rangpur and Barisal in Bangladesh.
"Most of these outfits have active support for Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence. They are using every place, from roadside motels to small villages, as operating bases.
It is very difficult to gather information in these places without the help of the local population which does not come easily," a senior intelligence officer said.
The Indian agencies were not actually surprised when the truck loaded with 25,000 rounds of AK-47 ammunition was discovered in Kolkata because they had prior information that a number of such shipments were on their way to the city.
"This is just part of an organised operation to stockpile arms and ammunition for subversive activities in eastern India. Kolkata is a favourite destination because of its dense population and cosmopolitan culture," the officer said.
Even the BSF has been asked by the Centre to strengthen vigil along the border. Mr SIS Ahmed, ADG (Eastern Zone) of the BSF said yesterday that the at a recent conference, Bangladesh Rifles officials were officially informed about militants and fundamentalist organisations having bases and running training camps on the Bangladesh side of the border.
The post of the ADG (east) BSF was created by Delhi in September last year exclusively to monitor the 4127-km long border from Bengal to Myanmar.
Mr Ahmed admitted that activities
of extremists and fundamentalist forces along this long stretch is on the
rise, making border management a difficult task.