TURA: A State forester posted at a forest beat in East Garo Hills was kidnapped by unidentified men who came in a vehicle and took him away on Tuesday evening from the Williamnagar-Songsak road.
The forester, identified as Babul Chettri and hailing from Akongre locality of Tura, was on duty with two other forest guards at the forest beat in Khera village, located around 8 km from Williamnagar, when a white Sumo vehicle stopped outside at around 6:30 pm and five men came out and called for the forester by name. When he came out of the beat office he was taken hostage by them inside the vehicle which quickly sped away leaving the two forest guards in shock.
Since his abduction there has been no information on his whereabouts and forest officials have filed an FIR at Williamnagar.
Speaking to The Shillong Times district police chief Davis Nestell R Marak said that search operations were underway to find the forester and nab the culprits.
Meanwhile, a senior government school teacher from Gasuapara, Agar Bakshi, who was kidnapped by armed men while on his way to Sibbari during the first week of September, has been released unharmed.
According to South Garo Hills police, the victim was released sometime on Sunday night by the gang and he later came to Baghmara for medical treatment.
His family reportedly paid a ransom of one lakh fifty thousand rupees for his safe release.
The involvement of cross-border criminal gangs operating from Bangladesh with active support of some locals and the militant group ASAK have not been ruled out by police.
According to police, the victim was kept blindfolded for most of his days in captivity and had little idea of his surroundings which has made security forces to sit up and take notice given that this has been the modus operandi of the gangs involved in past kidnappings along the border region of South Garo Hills.
With ASAK militants operating in the region and attributed to involvement in several kidnappings, the group’s hand has also not been ruled out.
