Tura: Three armed men have kidnapped a grocery trader at gun point in the latest abduction case in Meghalaya, a northeastern Indian state.
Garo Hills in the state has seen an increase in kidnap case, shocking the people of this militant-torn region. Earlier, the militants abducted only rich business. However, the latest case shows that they are not sparing even small time traders.
On October 6 evening, the unidentified gunmen took into custody Nirmal Saha of Sangknigre, a village some 30 km from Tura town in South Garo Hills. Saha had settled in the village and had been into business in the same village over decades.
According to the police, the armed men carrying pistols barged into Saha’s house around 6:30 pm and ordered him to accompany them. They did not reveal their identity and despite resistance from his wife and family members, they forcibly took Saha toward jungles.
According to local sources, Saha was not even allowed to wear his shirt and was last seen wearing a vest. “One of the three men allegedly had an AK though it is not clear if it was a fake or real one,” said the source.
There was however no confirmation as to whether a demand for ransom has been made by the abductors.
The Chokpot area is the stronghold of militants such as ASAK (A’chik sonagna an’pachakgipa kotoko) and the GNLA (Garo National Liberation Army). Their activities have left law and order in chaos, thenortheasttoday.com reported.
The kidnap follows the release of eight traders from Assam a day earlier. The ASAK militants, who kidnapped them on September 29, took a ransom of 700,000 rupees for their release. However, two managed to escape.