10 coal mine labourers kidnapped near Assam-Arunachal border

Guwahati, Feb 18 (IANS) At least 10 coal mine labourers out of 14 have been allegedly kidnapped by militant groups near the Assam-Arunachal border, officials said on Sunday.The incident took place in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh on late Saturday evening.Initial police inquiry suggest that the United Liberation Front of Assam Independent (ULFA-I) and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) are suspected to be behind the kidnapping.Police said that at least four labourers -- out of 14 who worked at Finboro Coalmine -- escaped when the group was trying to kidnap them.A labourer said, “Around three in the morning, seven armed men who were part of a terrorist gang arrived at our workplace and took ten labourers in a dumper to the old Longtoi area which is a remote place in Arunachal Pradesh.Superintendent of Police in Tinsukia district, Gaurav Abhijit Dilip said that though 10 have been kidnapped but there is still confusion about the exact number of persons kidnapped.“Assam and Arunachal Pradesh Police have been jointly working on the case. We have learned that some of the kidnapped people are residents of Assam, he said.No militant group has taken responsibility for the incident as of yet.--IANStdr/dan

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