VIJAYAWADA: The Naga Revolutionary Front militants, who kidnapped two site engineers hailing from Krishna district on July 27, from Dimapur in Nagaland state reportedly expressed their willingness to release them if the talks with the company, which the engineers are working for, go as expected.
Gogineni Lal Bahadur Shastri, father of kidnapped engineer G Prateesh Chandra, said that he received a phone call on July 27 from his son saying that he had been kidnapped by the Naga Revolutionary Front (NRF). “I got a call from my son at 9.15 pm and he told me that a group of militants kidnapped him and his colleague Raghu, who hailed from Nuzvid in Krishna district.”
The failure of some commitments between the NRF and Ratna Constructions, a private company in Dimapur where Prateesh is working led to the kidnap, he pointed out and added that he did not receive any formal information from the state government about the kidnap.
“We received information that the militants were ready to release Prateesh if the company general manager settles the commitments as promised. We approached Union minster Venkaiah Naidu through Guntur MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao, who in turn assured us the safe return of our son,” Shastri said.
He also averred that his son was supposed to come to Vijayawada to see off his brother Jagadish, who was going to USA next week. “Prateesh was supposed to board the train to Vijayawada the next morning. He was on his way back to the accommodation that his company provided after his dinner, when the incident happened,” he recalled.
The family was informed late on Tuesday evening that Prateesh was safe and that the militant group was reportedly ready to set the two engineers free if the talks with the Ratna Constructions go well. “We are in touch with the Ratna Constructions management and they said that they will hold talks with the militant group.” However, sources said that the militants have already agreed to release the engineers and they may arrive in the city Wednesday or Thursday.