TURA: The three abducted men from West Garo Hills were released on Monday night after police intercepted a man who was taking the ransom money to the ASAK rebels.
Cloth merchant Muzamil Haque of South Salmara, bus driver Biswajit Neogi alias Bappi and coal truck driver Md Rouf Asraf Ayub were released late on Monday night in the Ramchenga jungles near Dumnikura from where the trio split up.
The names of the kidnapped victims which were initially given to police by others were found to be incorrect. Two simultaneous events on Monday – the seizure of the ransom money and the launch of a major operation in the suspected hideouts of ASAK rebels – may have forced the rebels led by Reding T. Sangma to release their victims and escape the approaching police dragnet.
Tura police that had intelligence inputs about exchange of ransom money laid a trap late on Monday afternoon. They intercepted a 20-year-old man, identified as Nikseng D Shira (Siju) of Rongara, at a place between Tura’s Nehru Park and Damalgre area and seized around Rs 2 lakh from his possession.
Shira later confessed that he had been engaged by ASAK chief Reding Sangma to collect the money from one of the victims’ families.
He also told police he had collected the money for the group on three previous occasions. “He is a hardcore ASAK cadre involved in previous cases,” said district SP Mukesh Kumar Singh in Tura.
While the ransom money did not reach the outfit, South Garo Hills police launched a major operation from multiple points the same evening in an area where the group was suspected to be hiding.
“The arrest of the cadre taking the ransom and our launching of a major operation seems to have caused panic among the rebels who released their victims the same night,” said South Garo Hills SP Anand Mishra.
After their release, Neogi went to the Sibbari police outpost where he informed the personnel of their release. A police team took him in search of the other two men and caught up with cloth merchant Haque in a deserted portion of the road. He informed the police that Ayub had moved on after hitching a ride.
Meanwhile, the Garo Hills Motor Workers Union has expressed their gratitude to the various motor associations for joining hands with them in protesting the abductions. Appreciation was also given to the general public who despite having to suffer from their motor strike stood by them.
