By Bhupen Goswami

Guwahati : Kokrajhar Police on Monday night rescued a victim hailing from Bihar who was kidnapped by the anti-talk faction of the Adivasi rebel outfit National Liberation Santali Army (NSLA-AT). The outfit engaged a woman to kidnap the victim identified as Shivaji Lal, a resident of Pohaddi Vila in Ganashyampur, Darbhanga, Bihar. Kokrajhar Superintendent of Police Rajen Singh informed that Shivaji was kidnapped from Gossaigaon on June 8 by the NLSA-AT cadres, led by its self-styled chairman Apil Murmu. “The outfit engaged a lady to call the victim to come to her house at Satyapur under Gossaigaon Police Station to perform a puja,” he said. The incident was reported to police on June 14 by the victim’s brother Braj Mohan Lal and accordingly, a case vide Gossaigaon P.S Case No. 222/2018 U/S- 364(A)/506 IPC was registered. As per reports, Shivaji had come to visit an acquaintance in Gosaigaon when he received the call. However, it is yet to be confirmed whether the family had received any ransom demand or not. “Thereafter, a massive search operation was launched in Guma Reserve Forest under Gossaigaon Police Station based on technical analysis and information provided by various sources. And around 3 pm on Monday, search party of police recovered the victim from Sakam Nala (Guma Reserve Forest) around 5 km west of the village Satyapur,” said Singh. He also informed that one of the kidnappers namely, Soleman Soren (47), a resident of Boro Badha, Santhalpur under Gossaigaon Police Station was nabbed while the others fled away and disappeared in the dense forest. Post rescuing the victim, he was brought to Gossaigaon Police Station and proper medical examination was done. Kokrajhar Police also recovered items like mosquito nets, long pants, Plastic jerkings, plastic sheets, utensils and so on from the camp where the militants were holding the victim captive. It may be mentioned that the NSLA was formed by the splinter groups of five militant outfits – Adivasi People’s Army (APA), Adivasi Cobra Militants of Assam (ACMA), Birsa Commando Force (BCF), Santhali Tiger Force (STF), and All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA)