Agartala, Jan. 20: Three Bangladeshi girls and their pimp were arrested from West Tripura?s Sonamura subdivision last night.

Subdivisional magistrate Manik Chakraborty imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 or two months? rigorous imprisonment each on the quartet for infiltration.

Mihir Das, the subdivisional police officer of Sonamura, said the police, acting on a tip-off, raided the border village of Durganagar around 10.30 pm. The place is notorious as a den for smugglers and criminals.

Led by sub-inspector Kapil Das and assistant sub-inspector Obaidul Haq, the team stormed the house of smuggler Manir Hossain. They recovered liquor, blue films and CD players, following which they nabbed Barna Aktar, 14, Diana Begum, 20, Taslima Aktar, 18, and Hossain.

During interrogation, the three girls said they came from very poor families in Comilla district of Bangladesh and had been brought to the Tripura village by Hossain to work as sex workers.

The border areas of Sonamura subdivision have become notorious for sex-related crimes with Bangladeshi girls belonging to impoverished families being brought in as sex-workers.

On Monday, Sonamura police arrested Ferdausi Begum, 21, and Momin Mia, 28, from Kulubari village. The girl had introduced herself as a student of Comilla?s Victoria College and wife of Momin Mia. But investigations revealed that she had been brought across the border from Saber Bazar village in Comilla district by Momin Mia and Jahangir Mia, both smugglers.

The next day, Ferdausi Begum and Momin Mia were sentenced to two months? rigorous imprisonment. Jahangir Mia is absconding.

Rebel surrenders: A militant of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (Biswamohan) camp, who fled the outfit?s camp nine days ago, surrendered to the police last night.

Sushil Debbarma, 24, fled from the outfit?s Simnacherri camp in Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh on January 12 without any arms or ammunition to evade suspicion and escape without being pursued.