Security think tank alleges cross-border nexus in Mizoram Russian detention case

Aizawl, March 28: A New Delhi-based security think tank has alleged links between the recently detained Russian national in Mizoram and a Bangladesh-origin insurgent outfit, raising fresh concern over cross-border movements and security in the North East.

In a statement on Friday, the Centre for North East India Security Studies (CNEISS) claimed that the arrest of 41-year-old Russian national Igor Babko in Mamit district may be connected to the activities of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS).

Babko was reportedly found to have entered the State without the mandatory Protected Area Permit (PAP).

According to the think tank, BSF personnel detained Babko on Wednesday from Rajiv Nagar, a Chakma-inhabited village in the north-western district bordering Tripura and Bangladesh.

The CNEISS said he began his journey from Agartala on March 18 and is believed to have travelled through Kanchanpur in North Tripura before reaching Rajiv Nagar.

Citing inputs from local sources, the think tank alleged that the visit was facilitated by individuals linked to the PCJSS.

It named Udayan Chakma alias Jit – described as the outfit’s Mizoram in-charge from Khagrachari district in Bangladesh – and Binanda Chakma, as handling operations in Mamit district.

The statement further claimed that prior to entering Mizoram, Babko had visited Mittigachari village in Kanchanpur, which it described as a base camp of the PCJSS.

Swapan Debbarma of the CNEISS said that such instances were not unprecedented.

He referred to a case on November 6, 2025, when a Chinese national named Chun Kit Leong was brought to Tripura via Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport in Agartala by PCJSS representatives.

The CNEISS further alleged that Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Forces Intelligence has been using the PCJSS as a proxy, claiming that its chief continues to head the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council without elections for nearly three decades.

It also claimed that the outfit has established links with various armed groups, including the ULFA (I), Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, and Rohingya Solidarity Organisation.

The statement further alleged that in the last week of February this year, the PCJSS facilitated the transport of a large consignment of arms from Myanmar-based armed groups with the assistance of ULFA (I).

Warning of broader implications, the think tank said the pattern of bringing foreign nationals into the North East under questionable circumstances warrants a detailed investigation by security agencies.

Official agencies have not yet publicly commented on the specific claims made by the think tank.