Agartala, July 5: Self-confessed ISI agent Moin alias Munir Khan and seven of his local collaborators were remanded in 10 days’ police custody today.

The eight men were arrested from different parts of West Tripura on Saturday night and yesterday morning.

Inquiry officer Jahangir Hossain said the police had sought a fortnight’s custoday but were granded 10 days.

Following the arrest of the ISI agent, police have tightened vigil all along the state’s border while the BSF has also been requested to intensify its vigil.

A senior official of the special branch (intelligence wing) of the state police said Munir Khan, a resident of Pakistan’s Punjab province, had arrived in Bangladesh in June and crossed over to Tripura on June 25.

“He was received at the border by a local smuggler, Mohammed Tajuluddin. Later, the duo contacted other smugglers, Ramu Ghosh, Rana Roy, Sujit Saha, Gouranga De and Uttam Banik (driver) before moving to Aralia and Siddhi Ashram areas of Agartala; we picked him up from the residence of Ramu Ghosh at Aralia on Saturday night,” said the official.

He also said before being arrested with all his accomplices, Khan had visited Guwahati by a car.

The official added that the ISI agent would be put through intensive interrogation here and then he would be sent on transit remand to Delhi for grilling by senior experts of the Intelligence Bureau.

The police and IB officers gathered the information from Moin that his next stopover was Punjab to monitor the deployment of security personnel there and their movements.

“This is a very primary disclosure he made but the purpose of his visit to Bangladesh en route to Tripura can be brought to light through intensive interrogation only; this will begin from tonight itself but we are concerned over the timing of his visit, barely two months ahead of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to the state on September 21 to receive the honorary DLitt degree to be conferred by Tripura University,” the official said.