Suspense prevails over abducted Meghalaya official
By IANSWednesday, November 24, 2010
SHILLONG - Suspense prevailed over the release of an abducted Meghalaya official and his driver, kidnapped by Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) rebels Sep 30, as police and his family Wednesday said they had no information about him.
On Tuesday, the GNLA’s military wing chief Sohan D. Shira announced through an English daily that it will “release unharmed” R. Syngkon, district transport officer of East Garo Hills district.
Syngkon is believed to be still in captivity of GNLA rebels since he was kidnapped along with his driver Sep 30 from his official residence in Williamnagar, the district headquarters of East Garo Hills district in west Meghalaya.
“We have no information whether he (Syngkon) has been released. But there are reports suggesting that the GNLA may free him tonight (Wednesday) or tomorrow (Thursday),” Additional Director General of Police (Special Branch) S.K. Jain told IANS.
The family members of the abducted official and the driver, who have been praying for their safe return, also said they had no information about their release as announced by the GNLA chief.
“We have not received any phone calls to confirm their release. We are waiting for their safe return,” R. Syngkon’s sister A. Syngkon told IANS.
The GNLA rebels abducted the transport official after he refused to comply with the extortion demands of Rs.60 lakh.
But Shira, the GNLA military chief, claimed that Syngkon was kidnapped for indulging in “corrupt practices” and warned government officials in the region not to indulge in corruption.
“Syngkon has learnt the lesson hard and vowed that he will not repeat the deed he did before and we believe he will keep his word,” he said.
“Each corrupt officer will meet with dire consequences or share the same fate or worse than Syngkon,” Shira was quoted as saying by the daily.
The GNLA, one of the five Garo rebel groups, is demanding a sovereign Garoland in western Meghalaya and is believed to have links with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).
