SHILLONG: The city police have arrested the inter-state gang that abducted a 77-year-old citizen from Shillong in July.
East Khasi Hills SP M. Kharkrang said the Special Cell East Khasi Hills was entrusted with the investigation and joint initiatives were taken with Karimganj, Hailakandi and Cachar district Police to trace out the victim and nab the abductors. The kidnapping case involves three Northeastern states – Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya.
Arabindra Kr Das went out for a walk in the morning of July 25 and did not come back. An FIR was filed at Sadar police station. On the same evening, her daughter Sampa Das, who lives in Pune, received a call that her father was in the custody of the kidnappers and the family was asked to pay a ransom of Rs 5 crore.
Kharkrang said it was later ascertained that the kidnapping of the victim was masterminded by one Tapan Mallakar of Kailashaher in Tripura, who was a temporary resident of Lumkhyriem, Ishyrwat, Nongmynsong.
Tapan took help from another person, who is his namesake, also known as Mamu, of Oakland to procure a Black WagonR with DL registration plate and later re-registered as ML10 B 3589, which was used to lift the victim and another White Esteem (ML05 L 2150) to make the calls to victim’s family.
Tapan Mallakar of Kailashaher engaged Bappan Nath of Ramkrishna Nagar in Karimganj district to execute the kidnapping and Tapan Mallakar of Oakland was promised a share in the ransom amount. The latter financed the expenses incurred for the kidnapping.
Kharkrang said the plan to identify and kidnap any person in Shillong with sound financial status was made by Bappan and Tapan Mallakar of Kailashaher about two and a half months ago.
Tapan Mallakar of Kailashaher then identified Bappan who had come with four others and attempted to kidnap the victim two times before being successful in the third attempt.
The victim was taken by Bapan Nath, Ramani Sinha, a police constable in Cachar District, Rustom Ali, and one Raja Marboh. He was handed over to Tasaruf Ali of Kalibari who with Nurul Islam kept him in the jungles of Kalibari in Karimganj District.
Rustom Ali was not brought by police since he was already arrested by Assam police in some other criminal case.
On September 15, the victim while being shifted in a Maruti van was intercepted by Karimganj Police where one person Nurul Haque of Gamari, Ramkrishna Nagar, Karimganj who was with the victim was arrested.
Again on October 3, Tapan Mallakar of Kailashaher, the brain behind the kidnapping, and his wife Bada Myrthong who was also involved in the conspiracy and abetting the kidnapping, were arrested from their residence at Lumkhyriem, Ishyrwat, Nongmynsong and on the same evening Tapan Mallakar of Oakland who financed the kidnapping was also arrested.
The next day, the Special Cell team headed by SP (City), Vivek Syiem, laid a trap and arrested Bappan Nath from ISBT, Dharmanagar, Tripura.
Bappan Nath has been involved in a series of kidnapping cases. He was involved in the kidnapping of three minors in separate incidents in 2010, 2011 and 2012. He is also involved in several kidnappings in Assam.
On October 6, another co-accused Raja Myrboh who identified the victim on the day of the kidnapping was also arrested from Ishyrwat.
Further, in connection with this case, one vehicle (ML10B 3589) Wagon R, White Esteem ML05L 2150, twelve mobile handsets, suspected fake driving licences, one live 7.65 ammunition and one SBI passbook of Animesh Nath were seized.
“The case was handled by the Special Cell East Khasi. The case also could be solved due to the co-operation and the confidence of the family of the victim bestowed on the District Police,” Kharkrang said.
