In a swift and smart operation, the Tripura government has ensured safe return of three hostages after 16 days of their kidnap.
The three hostages- Subhash Bhowmik, Subal Debnath and Gana Mohan Tripura were kidnapped by the banned NLFT extremist group from Malda Kumar Para under Ganganagar police station on December 7 last. Finally, they were released by the NLFT extremists on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, the ‘safe return’ of the three persons came a few days after Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb threw the clear and loud message that the state government was ready to conduct surgical strike, if necessary.
The Tripura Police in a press communiqué claimed that the NLFT extremists had released the kidnapped persons following continuous operations carried out by the local police/ security forces and pressure on the over ground workers of NLFT inside the state as well as operations conducted by the security forces in Bangladesh.
However, there were sayings among the people that families of the kidnapped persons had to meet the NLFT’s demand of large-amount ransom to secure the safe return.
According to sources, the returnees were kept at BD Border Out Post of BSF in Dhalai district till the last information came in.
The families of the three abducted persons extended sincere gratitude to the state government specially Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb.
The three persons were engaged in a construction site. On that day (December 7 last), they had gone to fetch water from a nearby rivulet and didn’t return. When the others engaged in the construction site failed to trace the three persons even after conducting a massive search, the detailed the incident to nearby BSF camp. Finally, police had confirmed that the three persons were kidnapped by the NLFT insurgents.
Since then, massive combing operations were initiated but there was no trace of the hostages. Finally, the state government’s swift and smart operation has forced to release the kidnapped persons.
