Agartala, Sep 23 (IANS) Sixteen tribal separatists from Tripura and Meghalaya Saturday surrendered before authorities after they fled their camps in Bangladesh, officials said.

A police spokesman said 13 militants of the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) militants surrendered before Border Security Force (BSF) officials in north Tripura district, while three rebels of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) also surrendered before Tripura State Rifles (TSR) officials.

"The HNLC guerrillas were in a camp in the Maulavi Bazar district of Bangladesh but fled their base and entered India following a dispute with some local armed gangs there," said police spokesman Nepal Das.

The NLFT ultras deposited two US-made revolvers, an improvised rifle and a large cache of ammunition.

This is the third batch of HNLC guerrillas that sneaked into Tripura this year from their hideouts in Bangladesh.

"In June, 14 HNLC rebels were arrested immediately after they entered Tripura from Bangladesh," Das said.

"The border between Tripura and Bangladesh is being used by northeast militants as a safe corridor."

Tripura shares an 856-km long border with Bangladesh with a vast majority of it unfenced and just concrete pillars separating the two countries.