The Border Security Force (BSF) recently apprehended Apollo Chakma, an armed member of the Parbotto Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS), led by Santu Larma from the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council. Apollo, the son of Bijay Chakma from the Khagrachari district, was arrested while attempting to cross the Indo-Bangladesh border via Gate No.2 at the Amrit Para BSF camp in Tripura. During the arrest, the BSF seized a walkie-talkie from him and subsequently transferred him to Rashyabari Police Station. The Tripura Police have filed charges against him, which include cow smuggling and illegal entry into India.
The PCJSS, which has been labeled a terrorist organization by the Guwahati High Court in a judgment from September 5, 2024, related to a case involving the National Investigation Agency and arms smuggling by its members, has evolved into a notorious smuggling outfit operating along the Indo-Bangladesh border. It has been implicated in a range of criminal activities, encompassing the trafficking of arms, drugs, Indian livestock, and Burmese cigarettes. In response to the PCJSS’s alleged crimes, public protests in South Tripura erupted during July and August 2025, condemning their involvement in drug trafficking and the detrimental impact on the youth of Tripura.
The PCJSS had previously been associated with anti-India factions under the Interim Government of Bangladesh. However, with funds allocated to the CHT Regional Council being suspended, the PCJSS has reportedly grown more desperate, leading to an uptick in cross-border criminal activities perpetrated by its operatives.
