AGARTALA, September 2 (TIWN): The Dhalai district police administration as well as police personnel of Gandacherra Police Station failed to rescue yet the two jhum cultivators, who were kidnapped by National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) insurgents from Kalyan Singh TTAADC village of Joychandra Para under Raishyabari Police Station of Gandacherra sub division here on Aug 09.

As per the report, a group of armed cadres of the banned militant outfit kidnapped Udairam Reang and Joriham Reang at gunpoint late night on Aug 09. Police recovered a letter from the hut, which has asked to pay subscription of outstanding dues on MGNREGA and IAY beneficiaries of three ADC villages for four years before August 14 next in a specified location. The kidnap came shortly after a failed extortion notice served to the villagers. Though the police launched massive combing operations to rescue the hostages and to nab the militants but nothing has yielded yet.

The BSF has sealed each border outpost adjacent to Indo-Bangla border area of Gandacherra. On the contrary, the Jhumiyas have already arranged the amount as per the extortion notice served to the villagers by the NLFT militants. Sources said a few Jhum cultivators appealed before NLFT leader Ratamani Koloi (Sergeant) for Jhum cultivation in militants’ camp.

It is suspected that the militant leaders have abducted the two Jhum cultivators to reap paddy in Jhum land as there is a dearth of members in the militant outfit and furthermore, now it is a period of a variety of cultivation in Jhum land.

The militants’ leader asked a few more youths of Joychandra Para to harvest crops in the Jhum land owned by the militant outfit and they will release Udairam and Joriham without any extortion money. It is worthy to mention here that the barbed wire fencing work is yet to get accomplished in most of the parts of Indo-Bangla border. The completion of fencing work in border areas of the sub division could have prevented the access of militants to some extent.