Two alleged abductors were shot dead by West Garo Hills police today during a counter-insurgency operation to rescue two persons held hostage in Dibru Hills Forest Reserve near Bamandanga/Gaptuli under Tikrikilla.
West Garo Hills Superintendent of Police, Vivekanand Singh Rathore said an operation was launched yesterday and two abductors were killed in a gunfight which lasted for about three minutes this morning.
Police recovered one AK series rifle, a camouflage bag with 23 number of 7.622 mm and nine 99 mm ammunition, 19 empty 9 mm and 14 number of 7.62 mm cartridge cases along with other incriminating materials.
Two persons who were abducted by the gang were also rescued during the operation, Rathore said.
One of the victims, a resident of Guwahati, was a taxi driver who went missing since November 4 from Tikrikilla. On November 9 police from Goalpara in Assam had informed Meghalaya police that a child was kidnapped and kept in West Garo Hills district, he said.
Based on investigation it was found that both the victims were abducted by the same gang of criminals from Meghalaya as well as Assam, the SP added.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma mentioned the incident in a Twitter post. He said the two kidnappers were not residents of the State and “tried to jeopardise peace in Meghalaya.”
