ITANAGAR: Two individuals abducted by the proscribed Ang Mai faction of NSCN-K in Longding district, Arunachal Pradesh, were released after nearly a month in captivity, on December 21.
Chijgsan Wangham (45), the village chief, and Chopkhu Gangsa (53), the gaon bura, were abducted on November 28 from Chop Village under Wakka Circle.
The militants, numbering around 15, reportedly took them to Longpa village in Myanmar for allegedly not paying house tax amounting to Rs 50,000 over several years.
The victims were released on Thursday afternoon and safely reached their village around 2 pm, as confirmed by Longding Superintendent of Police, Dekio Gumja to the local press.
Although their health conditions are described as stable, no further details regarding their release were provided.
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The militant group had initially demanded a ransom of Rs 1.65 crore for their release.
However, the collective efforts of the police, security forces, and community-based organisations led to increased pressure on the rebel group, resulting in the eventual release of the captives.
Additionally, one individual, Gangmoih Gangsa, who attempted to rescue the duo, was also detained by the outfit at Longpa but was released alongside the abductees.
This incident marks the second abduction in Longding district in past one month, following an earlier case where NSCN-KYA militants kidnapped two employees of a private construction firm on November 16.
The kidnapped individuals, a junior engineer named Shashank Yadav and a supervisor, Liamgao Pansa, were later released on November 28.
While the motive behind the abductions is suspected to be extortion, confirmation regarding the payment of any ransom for their release remains undisclosed.
Notably, the perpetrators behind the kidnappings have been identified as self-styled Lt Col Botai Wangsu and self-styled Lt Abojak Wangnow of the NSCN-K outfit.
