Arunachal: Contractor and Panchayat Leader Abducted in Tirap
A Rajasthan contractor and a local PRI leader were allegedly abducted by suspected NSCN-K militants near the Indo-Myanmar border, prompting a multi-agency search.
KHONSA (Tirap) – In a daring cross-border kidnapping, a Rajasthan-based contractor and a local panchayat leader were allegedly abducted by suspected militants of the NSCN-K (Angami faction) from Lazu circle in Tirap district on Wednesday afternoon.
The victims have been identified as Vijay Shankar Aggarwal, a prominent businessman from Rajasthan executing government contracts in the region, and Bamnye Lamati, a respected PRI member and community leader from Lazu area.
According to police and local sources, the duo had gone to a remote location near the Indo-Myanmar border to negotiate an extortion demand of ₹2 crore reportedly served by the outlawed Naga insurgent group. When talks collapsed, the militants allegedly overpowered them and whisked them across the unfenced international border into Myanmar.
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“The incident took place around 2–3 p.m. on November 26. We received information that both individuals have been taken into Myanmar territory,” a senior police officer told reporters on condition of anonymity, as the matter is under active investigation.
As of Thursday evening, more than 30 hours after the abduction, there has been no fresh contact from the captors, and the families of both victims are in a state of extreme anxiety.
Arunachal Pradesh Police, in coordination with Assam Rifles and other security agencies, have launched a massive search operation along the border. However, the porous and heavily forested terrain, coupled with the absence of fencing along large stretches of the 1,643-km Indo-Myanmar border, has severely hampered efforts.
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Local residents say extortion and abduction of contractors and influential persons by NSCN factions have become recurrent in the Tirap-Changlang-Longding (TCL) region, often to fund insurgent activities.
“Contractors are soft targets here. If they don’t pay up, militants either stop work or kidnap someone,” said a community leader from Khonsa who requested anonymity.
The Arunachal Pradesh government and the Ministry of Home Affairs have been apprised of the situation. Sources indicate that back-channel efforts involving community leaders from both sides of the border may be underway to secure the safe release of the hostages.No militant group has officially claimed responsibility so far.
Further updates are awaited as security forces intensify operations in this most sensitive border regions.
