Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, December 12 2008:
THE TWO officials of the RIMS escaped from the custody of kidnapper of KCP, Ibungo Ngangom group last night has said "we are not kidnapped, go to meet them unable to bear with their repeated pressure, but they took captivity on the contrary to our expectation".
But the story on the escape narrated by them has put the police in a cloud of suspicion when the officials said they have been left behind on hearing bomb explosion and coming of police commandos nearby the place where they are keeping hide and police have no idea of such bomb blast incident at the time when they said escape from.
However, the threat of closure of the RIMS hospital has ended as employees of the institute have decided to suspend all forms of stir which included closure of emergency, casualty and out patient services they planned to start launching from today.
Meanwhile, in total contrast to the statements of the KCP Ibungo Ngangom regarding the abduction, the two officials said that, they were not subjected to any interrogation during their stay in the custody of the group.
The statement signed by Ibungo Ngangom, Chief Project Officer-cum-Secretary Information and Public Relations Department, Kangleipak Communist Party has said "both the abductees are under intense interrogation and the whole interrogation process is being video-recorded while clarifying on the allegation of kidnapping the two officials for ransom amount of Rs.2 crore.
"They (abductors) asked any question related to the functioning of the RIMS to us.
The only thing they said was that negotiation with the authority is going on to release us," Robindro who was in the Imphal east police headquarter said.
Commenting on the report of kidnapping them as reported, he said, "We are not abducted by them but they kept confined us after calling us to meet with them at Kangla Shangomshang village on the evening of that day," assistant engineer, Robindro said.
Kangla Shangomshang village around 10 kilometers from Imphal is in Imphal east.
Only three youths, one with small gun kept confined them to a place which is located after around three hours of tracking in the hills range from the place they were taken.
In the day time they keep them at a thick forest of the hill and at a thatch hut in a sparsely populated village at the foot hill.
They have no idea of the name of village, they are keeping.
When asked, Robindro said, he went with his under rank officer to meet them despite strong instructions from the RIMS authority not to go when call by any underground organization to convince them that the power to award works and siphoning "percentage" from any contract works have nothing to do with the Cell.
They wanted to "convey" them that they are only the executors of the works.
After all, "We are very vulnerable section of the society as far as undergrounds and extortion pressures are concern.
We are in the midst of stones.
We have no security protection like the top administrators of the institute.
How can we avoid their instruction to come and meet them," he said.
While relating their escape story, Surjit, the supervisor said yesterday evening when one of the abductors went out with the engineer to collect foot from the nearest village, the two who were with him ran away on hearing some explosion sounds in the nearby area leaving behind them which collided with a phone called received by them which say police commandos are coming nearby the village.
"At first they insist me to go with them but he remained seated stating that he could not to track in the slopes of the hill," Surjit said.
Apparently feeling fear of reaching the police, they hurriedly left the place without waiting their other colleague, he said.
After around a half hour later, the other cadre with my senior arrived but when informed about his colleagues leaving the place, he too run away from the place leaving them, he said.
They come down the hill and tracked all along the empty paddy fields.
After about an hour track find a village which the engineer came to know it as Sanjembam village where they were lifted up to RIMS, Lamphel complex by a van.
While we are staying at the quarter of the chief accountant of the institute at the RIMS complex, they informed the director and medical superintendent about their escaped from the custody of the kidnappers.
But police arrived and taken them to the Imphal east police headquarter in the early hour today, they said.
Meanwhile, SDPO, Imphal east police, Birbabu clarified that any firing or bomb blast occurred yesterday at the area nearby but a team of police commandos went to the Sanjembam village as regular patrol duty which twisted the story.
Police are on suspicion of something behind the kidnapping drama and investigations to the case had started after registering a case.
Mention may be made that two officials of the engineering Cell of the RIMS or Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, namely Assistant Engineer, Ng Robindro of Khurai Thoidingjam Leikai and supervisor of engineer Y Surjeet from Sega Road were abducted by a group of KCP led by Ibungo Nangom on Tuesday (December 9) last on the demand of Rs.3 crores from the RIMS authority.