At least 19 Myanmar police officers have crossed over into India and are seeking refuge there, a senior police official said.
The men crossed into Champai and Serchhip, two districts in the northeastern state of Mizoram that share a porous border with Myanmar.
All the men, who are lower-ranking policemen, were unarmed, the official said. “We are expecting more (people) to come,” he said, citing intelligence reports.
Police officer Lalnunzira, who uses one name, said three of them crossed into Indian territory near Lungkawlh village on Wednesday afternoon. The village is 13 kilometers (8 miles) from the border with Myanmar.
The policemen said they ran from the country because the Myanmar army was on their trail after they refused to obey some orders, the police officer said.
He did not explain what orders the three policemen had refused to obey. He said they were wearing civilian clothes and were not carrying any weapons when they were found inside Indian territory.
India shares a 1,643-kilometer (1,020-mile) -long border with Myanmar, where more than 50 people, mostly peaceful protesters, have been killed since the Feb. 1 military coup.
India is home to thousands of refugees from Myanmar who are scattered across different states.