Arunachal: Yupia Court Awards Life Term in 2008 Apang Kidnap Case
The District and Sessions Court held the accused guilty of criminal conspiracy and kidnapping for ransom in the 2008 abduction of former CM’s son.
YUPIA- A district court in Yupia has sentenced Tahak Tatak to life imprisonment for his role in the 2008 kidnapping-for-ransom case involving Getem Apang, son of former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Gegong Apang.
District and Sessions Judge Hirendra Kashyap convicted the accused under Sections 120B, 365 and 364(A), read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, holding that the prosecution had established criminal conspiracy, abduction and kidnapping for ransom beyond reasonable doubt.
According to the prosecution case, on June 18, 2008, Getem Apang and his associate Narendra Rai were abducted at gunpoint from C-Sector, Itanagar, while returning from a music rehearsal. The abductors intercepted their vehicle and initially took them towards Hollongi before shifting them to forest camps in Assam, where they were held captive for eight days.
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Court records indicate that the accused and his associates demanded a substantial ransom from Okeng Apang, brother of the victim, through anonymous phone calls. The victims were released on June 26, 2008, following coordinated security operations and technical surveillance by law enforcement agencies.
The investigation was conducted by a Special Investigation Team, which traced the accused’s links to operatives of the banned militant organisation National Democratic Front of Boroland. The prosecution relied on call detail records, witness depositions and confessional statements to establish the conspiracy and the accused’s involvement.
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During the prolonged trial, two co-accused — Tapiam Tali and Aniram Basumatary — died, leading to the abatement of proceedings against them. The trial, therefore, continued only against Tatak.
At the sentencing stage, the defence sought leniency, citing the accused’s lack of prior criminal antecedents, loss of livelihood and family responsibilities. The court, however, observed that the offence under Section 364(A) IPC attracts either life imprisonment or death penalty and cannot be treated as a routine criminal act.
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Considering the gravity of the offence while also taking note of the delay in conclusion of the trial, the court sentenced the accused to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000. The court further informed the convict of his statutory right to appeal before the Gauhati High Court.
The 2008 abduction had triggered one of the largest coordinated investigations involving police forces from Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, marking it as one of the most significant criminal cases in the region’s recent judicial history.
