From Our Correspondent
JOWAI: Kidnappings for ransom is on the rise in the coal-rich East Jaintia Hills District where relatives of coal labourers, coal mine supervisors and even a child of a daily wage earner were abducted in exchange for cash in recent times.
In the four months since January, East Jaintia Hills Police have registered seven cases of kidnapping.
Recently, one Ship Paslein of Samasi village was abducted by a group of coal labourers from Briwar and taken to Doboka in Nagaon district of Assam. The kidnappers hired his vehicle (Bolero) from Briwar to Doboka and on reaching Assam they forcibly took him to a reserve forest area and demanded Rs 10 lakh for his release.
However, Police and local residents rescued him from inside the reserve forest.
On April 3 one Skot Mukhim of Ladrymbai received a phone call and the unknown caller informed him that they have kidnapped his 4-year-old daughter, Iammi Pakma, and demanded Rs 30 lakh as ransom.
Sources informed that the father of the girl is a daily wages and hardly earns between Rs 3000 to Rs 4000 per month. “It seems that the kidnappers have abducted the wrong girl,” a source said.
In February 18, unknown miscreants abducted a youth, Crehange Bamon of Moolamylliang village, and his friend Santu Singh from Umpleng near Jaintia Cement Ltd. Both the victims were released after 10 days.
In the same month, four unidentified armed miscreants abducted one Ajay Das from Rymbai Road. Later, he was rescued by the Police.
Earlier in January, five unidentified armed miscreants abducted one Arwind Kumar in a Maruti Gypsy from Dkhiah village. Police later rescued the victim from Briwar.
Though most of these cases relate to ransom, there have been cases where kidnappings have taken place over land and coal mine disputes. In March, a coal labourer, Noton Myrlia, escaped when he was being forcibly abducted in a vehicle (Maruti Gypsy) by one Edward Lyngwar and his group allegedly armed with AK-47, pistols and SBBL guns. Sources have revealed that some coal mine dispute was the reason behind the kidnap bid.
Meanwhile, coal businessmen have expressed concerned over the rise in kidnapping cases in the district. “We feel that our children and relatives are not safe anymore in East Jaintia Hills, as only God knows what will happen to them while on their way to school or in the play ground,” a coal trader, who did not wish to be named, said.
