From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: An abduct assistant executive engineer of Assam agriculture department, Faizul Islam has been released safe by his captors in Western Assam’s Dhubri district after keeping him in captivity since May 2 last.
The engineer was immediately taken into custody by the police and admitted into a hospital in Bongai-gaon for a thorough medical check up. The police and the State CID also conducted a preliminary integration of the engineer in relation to murder of his senior colleague Gadapani Pathak, a superintendent engineer of the same department. Both Pathak and Islam were travelling in the same vehicle on May 2 last when suspec-ted armed miscreants intercepted their vehicle on the way and killed Pathak whie Islam was abducted. The driver of the vehicle managed to flee after being brutally thrashed by the miscreants.
The Assam Police and the sleuths of the State CID have started interrogating Faizul Islam, an assistant executive engineer in Assam agriculture depart-ment in connection with the abduction and murder of Gadapani Pathak, a superintending engineer in the same department.
Faizul Islam was released late last night by unidentified captors at a petrol pump at Chapar in Dhubri district of Western Assam. He called up Dhubri police from the petrol pump.
Both Islam and Pathak were reportedly abducted by unidentified gunmen at Khagarpur in Bongaigaon district on May 2 when they were travelling in the same vehicle on an official tour.
Pathak’s bullet-ridden body was found next morning – on May 3 – not far away from the spot where they were kidnapped. Islam, however, remained untraced.
The two were returning from Gauripur in Dhubri district where Pathak had gone to investigate into certain major anomalies in purchase and distribution of pump sets meant for farmers. Islam is the officer responsible for distribution of pump sets in the district.
Police is now waiting for Islam to be released from the hospital to subject him to grilling regarding murder of Pathak as the needle of suspicion has been pointed to Islam by various quarters in relation to murder if Pathak.
Pathak was probing certain major irregularities in the district where Islam was also posted. Assam government had entrusted the State CID to investigation the case of murder of Pathak.