From Our Correspondent
TURA: Two businessmen from Krishnai town in Goalpara district of Assam who went missing on a business trip to East Garo Hills on November 1 is now confirmed to be in the custody of Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) militants.
The two traders from Krishnai, near Dudhnoi town, Md. Amir Hussain (32 years) and Md Nor Islam (36) went missing at a place called Dame Apal near Rongrong district council constituency of Resubelpara Civil Sub-Division area around 1:30 in the afternoon of November 1st when they had gone to secure a large bamboo consignment for export to Assam.
Although both traders went missing the families desisted from filing any complaint report prompting police to register a suo moto case in Songsak police station after investigation and intelligence inputs revealed that both traders were under the custody of the Garo militant group.
A massive combing operation has been launched to rescue the victims and nab the militants.
Earlier, on Thursday night the son of a Soil Conservation Department Ranger was kidnapped by two militants belonging to the defunct Liberation of Achik Elite Force (LAEF) from his home in Mangsang Umtra but was successfully rescued by Rongjeng police of East Garo Hills.
The two militants, both LAEF surrenderees, identified as Sengchal Sangma and Salman Sangma of Mangsang kidnapped Soil Ranger Salwindro Momin’s son Salnang because the father had failed to pay extortion money demanded by the two criminals.
The militants had even committed a dacoity at the ranger’s home in October seeking hard currency because he happened to own a large arecanut plantation farm.
Quick response from the part of East Garo Hills police which immediately let loose its special SWAT commando teams into the deep jungles and simultaneously sealed off all entry and exit routes in and around Mangsang and Rongjeng shortly after the kidnapping took place resulted in rich dividends. The militants released the ranger’s son unharmed and fled for their own safety as security forces closed in on their suspected hideout deep in the jungles of Mangsang forest.