TURA: A small time florist of South Garo Hills who was abducted at gunpoint from Dambuk Aga area last week and taken across to Bangladesh was released unharmed on Saturday night.
Flower producer and supplier, Ranjit Modak, was let off by the gang near the international border on the Bangladesh side at around 9 pm. He crossed over to India and informed his family of his safe return.
The kidnappers had demanded one lakh rupees for his safe release and police suspect money had exchanged hands although the victim claims to have only paid eighteen thousand rupees which was forcibly taken from him by the group at the time of his kidnapping.
This is the second kidnapping of a person from the Rongara-Dambuk Aga region in less than a month. Earlier, A.K. Srivastava, a project engineer overseeing the installation of flood lights along the international border, was also kidnapped by an armed gang from Rongara and taken across into Bangladesh.
He was released after the gang reportedly received a substantial amount of ransom money.
Police do not rule out the involvement of the same gang behind the kidnappings of Srivastava and the florist. The modus operandi of both incidents are said to be similar in nature.
The florist has revealed to authorities that the gang which took him away last week while he was watching television at the home of a lady friend comprised of a mixed group.
He reportedly revealed that the gang comprised of Bangladeshi Muslims and Garos who were armed.
“There were two Bangladeshi Muslims in the group and the rest were Garos from across the border. The weapons were in the hands of the Garos,” said a police source.
Shortly after his abduction the gang took him across into Bangladesh by passing through the Panda reserve forest on the Indian side without facing any obstacles.
The Indian border is manned by Border Security Force personnel.
After they crossed over into Bangladesh soil the kidnappers took him to a house in a nearby village not far from the border and kept him blindfolded inside a room and did not allow him to interact with the inmates of the house unlike in the case of Srivastava who mingled freely and was able to get a clear picture of his surroundings which helped authorities in India to pinpoint the actual area and place where the gang was operating from.
