3 Suspected Bangladeshi Cattle Thieves Killed In Tripura, Dhaka Reacts

Dhaka has lodged a protest over the killing of three Bangladeshi nationals who had crossed the Indian border illegally. The three Bangladeshis were killed on Wednesday by an angry mob on suspicion of being cattle thieves in a border village called Bidyabil, in the Khowai district of Tripura.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh said, "The Government of Bangladesh strongly protests and condemns the brutal beating and killing of three Bangladeshi citizens by a mob in Tripura, India, on 15 October 2025."

"This heinous act is an unacceptable and grave violation of human rights and the rule of law. The Government of Bangladesh expresses its serious concern over this deplorable incident and calls upon the Government of India to conduct an immediate, impartial and transparent investigation into the incident and take sincere efforts to stop the recurrence of such inhumane acts," the statement added.

Locals said the incident was triggered after two villagers were working at a rubber plantation close to the India-Bangladesh border.

They spotted three suspicious individuals moving towards the international border with cattle from the area. They confronted the suspected thieves. The three Bangladeshis allegedly attacked the locals with daos (sharp-edged local weapons), injuring two Indians.

The injured duo informed others about the incident, following which angry locals rushed to the spot, confronted the suspected Bangladeshi thieves, and allegedly thrashed them to death.

Both the Border Security Force (BSF) and local police, led by the Superintendent of Police Ranaditya Da, have visited the spot and conducted a preliminary probe.

In a statement, Bangladesh added, "The perpetrators must be identified and brought to justice. The Government of Bangladesh underscores that all individuals, irrespective of their nationality, are entitled to the full protection of their human rights, regardless of which side of the border they may inadvertently find themselves in."

Reacting to Bangladesh's protest, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We have noted that an incident in Tripura leading to the death of three Bangladesh smugglers took place on October 15, about 3 kms inside Indian territory."

"A group of three miscreants from Bangladesh crossed the international border and attempted to steal cattle from Bidyabil village in Indian territory. They attacked and injured local villagers with iron dahs and knives, and killed one villager, even as other villagers arrived and resisted the attackers," the spokesperson added.

The bodies of all three have been handed over to the Bangladesh side. A police case has also been filed.

"This incident underscores the need for Bangladesh to undertake necessary measures to uphold the sanctity of the International Boundary and support the construction of fencing where needed to prevent cross-border crimes and smuggling," the Ministry said.

Tripura shares an 856-km-long border with Bangladesh, and cross-border crimes such as cattle smuggling and illegal infiltration have been problems in the area. While most parts of the border are fenced, infiltrators and cattle smugglers often sneak in and try and escape back into Bangladesh to avoid detection and legal action.