TURA: A 62-year-old man who was abducted from his home in a border village in South West Garo Hills by Bangladeshi criminals, a week ago, has made a daring escape and landed in the safety of security forces from that country.
Palgun Arengh, a resident of Rimrangpara village located on the international border, escaped from the kidnappers den in Chota Gazni area of Sherpur district early Saturday morning.
Despite his age, the elderly man trekked through unknown territory in the dark and managed to locate a Bangladesh Border Guards (BBG) patrol party to whom he narrated his plight.
He was later taken into safe custody and handed over to Bangladesh police.
Arengh was called out of his house in the dead of night on May 24th by unidentified men who took him away across the international border.
The gang, suspected to be a mixed group of locals and Bangladeshis, initially demanded a huge ransom amount which was later scaled down to a couple of lakhs.
Before the criminals could get their hands on the ransom money their victim took off leaving them with an empty coffer.
He is expected to be handed over to the BSF within a day or two.
Frequent abductions of Indian border villagers by criminal gangs having a base across the international border have been going on for several years.
The gangs have been taking advantage of unmanned and secluded points along the border including riverine areas to pass to and fro.
Most of the abductions have been reported from the Baghmara-Rongara region of South Garo Hills although criminals are of late expanding their activities towards neighbouring areas like West and South West Garo Hills border belts.