Militants release 2 kidnapped workers in Arunachal after 12 days

Itanagar, Feb. 13 (IANS): Two construction workers, residents of Assam and Bihar, were released by the Myanmar based militant outfit NSCN (K-YA), 12 days after they were kidnapped from Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh, police said on Sunday.

Police said that the outlawed outfit of the Yung Aung faction of NSCN-K released the two captives — Hiren Konch from Assam and Ramashis Mahato from Bihar — on the India-Myanmar border on Saturday night.

Longding district Superintendent of Police Vikram Harimohan Meena said the duo was rescued by the police after “making tremendous efforts”.

He said that both the workers are visibly in good health but their medical checkups are being done.

Police officials said that Banphua Wangpan, Hiren Konch and Ramashis Mahato were engaged in the construction of the Pumao-Langkhow road in Longding district and were staying at a camp near the construction site from where the militants kidnapped them on January 31.

Police said that one of the three captives — Banphua Wangpan was released the next day and two others were in the hideout of NSCN (K-YA). The police had suspected that the intention behind the kidnapping was ransom. The militants had reportedly demanded Rs 4 crore as ransom.

The NSCN-K (Yung Aung) is based in Myanmar and is doing unlawful activities in some eastern Arunachal Pradesh districts and the outfit is only Naga militant group outside the purview of the ongoing peace talks with the Indian government.

The villagers informed the police that the NSCN (K-YA) cadres are extorting money from businessmen for the past several months. Earlier the militants kidnapped several people including the construction workers in Arunachal Pradesh, but subsequently the guerrillas released them after taking ransom.

Arunachal Pradesh shares 520 km unfenced borders with Myanmar.