GUWAHATI: Two construction workers from Assam and Bihar were freed by suspected militants of the Yung Aung faction of NSCN-K on Saturday night, 12 days after they were abducted from Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh.
Longding District Magistrate B Lego told The New Indian Express that the persons were released on the India-Myanmar border.
Superintendent of Police Vikram Harimohan Meena said the duo was “recovered” by the police after “tremendous efforts”.
“After tremendous efforts, Longding police has achieved success in the recovery of two abductees in the recent Pumao kidnapping case,” the SP said in a statement.
He said the persons were visibly in good health and taken for a medical checkup.
On the night of January 31, a group of five-six militants had abducted three persons from a camp of labourers and taken them towards neighbouring Nagaland.
The next day, the militants freed one of them, Banphua Wangpan who is from Longding. However, the two others – Hiren Konch from Assam and Ramashis Mahato from Bihar – continued to be in the militants’ captivity.
The workers were engaged in the construction of a road located between Longkhaw and Pumao villages in Longding. The police had suspected that the motive behind the abduction was ransom. The militants had reportedly demanded Rs 4 crore as ransom.
The NSCN-K (Yung Aung) is made up of mostly Nagas of Myanmar. Active in some eastern Arunachal districts, it is the only NSCN faction outside the purview of peace talks.