Agartala, March 26 (IANS): Four Bangladeshi intelligence officials who illegally entered Tripura were beaten up by villagers but were allowed to go back after Indian officials intervened, police said on Thursday.

Four other intelligence officials ran back to Bangladesh when these four were pounced upon by villagers in Boxanagar in Sipahijala district, police sources said here.

The incident took place on Wednesday night. The Bangladeshi officials, said to be district level intelligence officials, reportedly entered India in search of illegal drugs.

The Border Security Force rescued the Bangladeshi officials from the custody of the villagers, said a police officer on the condition of anonymity.

"As a goodwill gesture, the BSF handed them over to the Border Guards Bangladesh on Wednesday night itself," the officer said.

Bangladeshi security personnel have often entered Tripura but have been sent back without taking any legal action in view of the sensitive bilateral relations.

Tripura shares 856 km of border with Bangladesh. Parts of it remains unfenced and hilly, making trans-border movements easy.