Silchar, Oct. 29 : Kidnappers of the NF Railway locomotive driver, Tarun Kumar Bhattacharjee, have upped their ransom demand from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore.
United Democratic Liberation Army (UDLA), which masterminded his abduction, was reportedly peeved with the dilly-dallying by Bhattacharjee’s family in handing over the ransom, and increased the amount.
Hailakandi superintendent of police Hemanta Bhattacharjee confirmed the ransom hike this morning over phone.
Police sources said the ransom note bore the signature of UDLA chairman Sishuram Reang, who, according to police intelligence, operated from Mizoram’s Kolosib district.
The UDLA chief had told reporters over phone in Hailakandi yesterday that he was forced to demand such a high ransom from Bhattacharjee’s family as it was only way to force the Centre to take notice of the outfit.
Another reason behind the kidnapping, Reang said, was to raise money to buy modern weaponry.
The ransom hike has, however, compounded the woes of Bhattacharjee’s wife, his two daughters and his son, who had been spending sleepless nights waiting for his return at their railway quarters in Badarpur.
Bhattacharjee was kidnapped from the Mizoram-bound Badarpur-Bhairabi passenger train on October 20 evening when the train slowed down near Purbachairabak hamlet under Hailakandi district’s Katlicherra block on the Assam-Mizoram border.
Though eight days have elapsed since the abduction and Hailakandi police is claiming to have zeroed in on the kidnappers’ hideout, there has been no breakthrough yet.
According to police sources, Assam and Mizoram police personnel along with IRB and CRPF jawans have been scanning the hilly jungles on the Assam-Mizoram border to track down the rebels and rescue the missing railway employee.
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