Khonsa (Arunachal Pradesh): The Assam Rifles rescued two labourers abducted by Naga militants from a village in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tirap district on Tuesday after an encounter. An operation to nab the miscreants is underway.
The two labourers were abducted by NSCN-K (Rebel) cadres from a construction site at the Laho village in the Dadam Circle of Tirap on Saturday. While peace talks are underway with most Naga militant outfits, the NSCN-K (Rebel) has refused to participate.
The two labourers who were abducted were not locals, sources said, adding that it was an attempt to extort money from the agency that had engaged them.
“Acting on specific intelligence, Assam Rifles columns, operating under the Army’s Spear Corps, were swiftly mobilised and launched a well-coordinated search and rescue operation in the general area of Nianu to trace the abductees and apprehend the perpetrators,” a Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson said.
After the operation began, the militants opened indiscriminate fire on the advancing security forces, he said.
“Demonstrating utmost professionalism and restraint, the troops retaliated in a controlled manner to prevent any collateral damage and ensure the safety of the abducted civilians. The measured and timely response by the Assam Rifles troops resulted in the successful rescue of both labourers without any harm and prevented further subversive actions by the faction in the area,” he added.
The rescued labourers were taken to district headquarters Khonsa for medical inspection and further assistance. Troops are carrying out further search and sanitization operations in the area.
Tirap is one of the three districts in Arunachal Pradesh where the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is in place. This district, bordering Assam, has witnessed militant activity in the past as well.