Guwahati, Feb 3: Security forces are yet to trace the two construction workers allegedly abducted by NSCN (K-YA) militants from Pumao in eastern Arunachal Pradesh’s Longing district on Monday night.
Police sources had informed on Tuesday that three construction workers, Banphua Wangpan (from Longding); Hiren Koch (from Assam) and Ramashis Mahato (from Bihar), were abducted by the militant group.
Sources said the workers were engaged in construction of the Pumao-Langkhow Road and were residing at a camp from where they were abducted.
Subsequently, one of them, Wangpan, a resident of Langkhao village in Longding district, was believed to have been released by the captors. He returned to his native place on Tuesday.
Koch, a resident of Tingkong in Dibrugarh district, has been working as a JCB operator in Longding district for the past four years.
Koch’s family has now appealed to the militant group to release him unharmed.
“He and his brother, Suraj Koch, have been working in Longding for the past four years now. His last phone call was on Monday evening when he spoke to his wife. We appeal to the Assam and Arunachal governments to take the matter in the right earnest and ensure that he is safely released,” said Rashmi Rekha Koch, mother of Hiren Koch.
Longding superintendent of police V.H Meena had on Wednesday confirmed the abduction that took place around 9.30 pm on January 31, 2022.
“A group of five to six suspected unknown underground cadres, allegedly belonging to NSCN K-YA cadres, came to the camp of labourers engaged in the road construction located in between Longkhaw and Pumao villages (both under Pumao circle) and abducted three persons. They were taken towards Nagaland,” the SP informed in a statement to the media.
“It is suspected that the motive of the abduction might be for ransom,” the police official said.
Meanwhile, a massive combing operation by security forces along Arunachal-Nagaland border is underway to trace the whereabouts of the two abducted workers.
Three districts of Arunachal Pradesh – Tirap, Changlang and Longding, have been a hotbed of militancy with the area frequented by militant outfits and used as a transit route to reach their hideouts in neighbouring Myanmar.
Longding shares an international boundary (Myanmar).
NSCN (K-YA), unlike several other outfits, are yet to be in ceasefire with the government.
Cadres of the outfit have been active for several months, allegedly carrying out extortion activities in Tirap and Changing districts of eastern Arunachal Pradesh as well along with Longing.