Agartala, April 6 (IANS): Indian villagers hacked to death three Bangladeshi nationals Sunday in a village on the India-Bangladesh border in western Tripura, police said.

"The three cattle lifters came to Gaurnagar village in Khowai district early Sunday. Villagers held them and beat them to death on the spot," Inspector General of Police Nepal Das told IANS.

Officials of the Border Security Force and Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) held a flag meeting over the incident.

Bangladeshi media reported those killed were identified as Siddique Ali, 55, Anwar Miah, 40, and Omar Ali, 45 - all from Gazipur union of Chunarughat upazila (sub-district) in eastern Bangladesh.

The report quoted BGB Commander Col. Tariqul Islam Khan as saying that some Indian villagers beat the trio to death, suspecting them as cattle thieves when they were returning home with cattle.

Tripura shares a 856-km border with Bangladesh and some parts of the border remain unfenced. The mountainous terrain and dense forests make the border porous and vulnerable to illegal immigrants and intruders crossing over.