Chokpot BDO trekked for 8 hours at night before making contact with family

TURA: The abducted Block Development Officer (BDO) of Chokpot, Jude Rangku T Sangma, who was released by the banned GNLA on Monday had to walk for over eight hours in the dark before he could make contact with his family via his mobile handset to pick him up from a deserted road near Allagre village in Kherapara region early Tuesday morning.
Although the BDO was released by the GNLA on Monday itself, there was no communication forthcoming from the outfit in the direction he had been let off leading to much concern for the family of the young officer.
Frantic searches were carried out at several possible areas following the afternoon announcement of Jude’s release by the GNLA through the social media site but all turned out to be negative. It was only close to midnight that a confirmation call was made to the family by someone connected to the outfit who said that he was in the Deku region.
It was during a lookout for him at Deku area by the family members that Jude made a call from his cell phone at around 2am giving them directions to the place he was located. Ultimately, they found him at Allagre, near Mebonpara, on the Rimrangpara-Chokpot road, close to 4 am. He had by then walked for eight long hours in the dark but had been unable to make contact with anyone due to absence of mobile connectivity in the area. Earlier in the night, at the time of his release he was reportedly escorted by GNLA cadres all through the jungle route before arriving on the village road where they gave him directions to proceed forward while they themselves turned back.
“We are very relieved and happy to have our son back with us safe and sound. We don’t know where he was kept but we waited the whole night for his return and he is now resting in his room,” said the mother and father of Jude Rangku when The Shillong Times called on them at their house in Tura on Tuesday afternoon.
The only time the family was able to speak to their son while in custody of the militants was on October 29 when he called to inform them that he was well.
The young officer, who spent a week in the dense forests under custody of the militants, appeared extremely exhausted but in high spirits after reaching home safe.
He had some wounds on his lower limbs caused by leeches. “He met his parents on arrival and spent some time with them before retiring to his room. He needs plenty of rest,” said a family member.