TURA: A 37-year-old ginger merchant from Assam who was abducted at gunpoint by a gang of criminals in East Garo Hills has been released unharmed on Wednesday after the kidnappers panicked on hearing of police and arrest of a person who had links with the group and was aware of their abduction plans.
Tapos Dey (earlier identified mistakenly as Maji) was left in a jungle area around Bansamgre late on Tuesday night as news reached them that information had already been passed on to different villages to remain alert about a gang holding a trader captive.
Villagers had launched multiple search operations throughout the area.
With police commandos already on a search deep in the forests, the kidnappers panicked. According to the victim who narrated his ordeal, four members of the gang fled the hideout leaving behind just one with a pistol to keep a watch on him.
As dusk fell, the last member also decided to flee by calling up another member on cell phone who soon arrived on the scene on a motorcycle to take him away.
The gang, however, did not leave empty handed as they took away Rs 70,000 from the trader that he had kept to purchase ginger.
The trader made his way through the jungle in the dark before arriving at a house at Bansamgre village where a villager gave him shelter for the night. Police escorted him safely to Williamnagar in the morning.
The trader was on his way to Rongsak village market on Tuesday when motorcycle-borne criminals stopped his mini truck at Bansam Awe and took him away.
Following the abduction, police quickly zeroed in on a suspect identified as Salsrang alias Mogo of Rongsak village.
According to police, Mogo reportedly confessed that he was aware of the kidnap plan and also revealed the names of the kidnappers.
