GUWAHATI: Continuing with their act of abduction for ransom, suspected militants kidnapped nine Assam traders at gun-point in South Garo Hills district of Meghalaya on Friday.
This is the second major incident of abduction of traders in the district in the past month.
The police said Friday’s incident took place early morning when the victims were headed to a weekly market at Bilkona near the India-Bangladesh border in two vehicles.
“They were travelling in two mini trucks when the militants intercepted the vehicles at a forested area at Telekhali and kidnapped them at gun-point,” the police said.
It was learnt that one of the traders was later released by the insurgents. The victims hail from Mancachar area of Assam. The police suspected the hand of insurgent group Achik Songa Anpachakgipa
Kotok (ASAK) in the incident.
South Garo Hills Superintendent of Police Anand Mishra, who visited the site of incident, told Express that an operation had been launched to track down the abductors.
On September 29, eight other Assam traders were kidnapped by the militants of Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA). A week later, all of them were released following payment of ransom.
Extortions, abductions and killings of traders and government officials by the militants are common in insurgency-infested Garo Hills. After committing a crime, the insurgents would often sneak into Bangladesh, making it very difficult for the police and paramilitary forces to go after them.