Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Militants free two Mizo hostages

AIZAWL: Two Mizos, Sanglianthanga and Lalzawmliana, who were abducted along with a non-tribal, Deep Mondal, by the Bru National Development Front of Mizoram (BNDFM) and the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) on November 23 last year from the abandoned Chikha anti-poaching camp inside Mamit district's Dampa Tiger Reserve on the Mizoram-Bangladesh-Tripura border, were released on Wednesday.

Police said the three persons were held captive inside Bangladesh for 55 days. Deep Mondal, who worked with a private telecom company, has not been released yet, a senior state police official said.

"The released hostages and their guides are likely to reach the Mizoram-Bangladesh border by Friday. They were kept in a forest in Bangladesh as the abductors feared the state police might make a rescue attempt," the official said. A ransom of Rs 5 crore has been demanded from the telecom company in which Mondal worked.

SP of Mamit district, Rodingliana Chawngthu said around 500 young people who volunteered as members of a 'search party' to locate the abducted trio discontinued their march towards Bangladesh after learning of the release.

Lalhmachhuana, president of the apex Mizo students' body-Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP)-which organized the 'search party', said its team would return to Aizawl once the news of the release is confirmed. He told media persons that the MZP would exert pressure for the release of Deep Mondal. "We want to make people who come to the state from outside to participate in developmental works feel safe and we will work towards this," he added.