Police said about 12 labourers along with GAIL Engineers escorted by the Tripura State Rifles jawans were going to their work site on foot at Badhunia Para under Teliamura police station when the ATTF militants swooped down from a hill top and fired indiscriminately from sophisticated weapons.
While two of the labourers died instantly, one succumbed to his injuries on way to hospital. The place of attack was only 2 km away from the Assam-Agartala National Highway.
The tribal guerillas, however, managed to escape when the TSR jawans retaliated.
Superintendent of Police R S Kamble, senior TSR officials along with reinforcement have rushed to the spot and launched a massive combing operation in the hilly terrain to nab the militants.
The Border Security Force had also been alerted so that the militants could not cross over to their hideouts in Bangladesh.
Official sources said the ATTF militants had once again been active following a joint meeting among different insurgents group of North East, the ISI agents and some officials of Bangladesh.
The sources said today's attack was a part of the militants' plan to disrupt the village committee election to be held in the state later in February.