Meghalaya clueless about whereabouts of abducted IB officer

Meghalaya Police on Monday remained clueless about the whereabouts of an Intelligence Bureau officer abducted by suspected Garo militants in Meghalaya's South Garo Hills district, bordering Bangladesh.

On September 24, militants of the A'chik Songna An'pachakgipa Kotok (ASAK) outfit kidnapped Intelligence Bureau officer Bikash Singh and cloth merchant Kamal Saha at gunpoint from an area between Ampangre and Panda reserve forest, police said.

Though, ASAK has denied its involvement in the kidnapping, police maintained that the needle of suspicion was particularly on the group.

"There is no development in this case. We have no clue at all about their whereabouts but the operation is on to trace and rescue the abducted officer and the other person," Inspector General of Police in-charge Operations, G.H.P. Raju, told IANS.

He also said the kidnappers have not made any contact with the family of the two victims for ransom.

Asked if the kidnappers have taken their hostages to Bangladesh, Raju said: "We do not know as we are unable to ascertain the whereabouts of the two kidnapped people."

However, he said the rescue operation has been intensified in South Garo Hills district and its adjoining districts to trace the intelligence officer.

"Hundreds of policemen besides central paramilitary forces have fanned out to rescue the two hostages," Raju said, adding that Inspector General of Police in-charge Western Range F.D. Sangma was camping at Baghmara overseeing the operation.