• Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura 

Agartala, July 26, 2022 : Even after 72 hours, the security forces failed to rescue the 16-yr-old student, who has been abducted from Tripura’s Kalapani village under Sonamura sub-division.

Although, the girl’s family lodged a complaint with Sonamura police station against the alleged kidnappers, but the security forces failed to initiate requisite action and nab the offenders.

As per reports, the girl – a Class-X student in Kalapani village, about 8 KMs from Sonamura town and 55 KMs away from Agartala city, was heading for a private tuition with her friends.

A group of miscreants led by alleged Mayin Uddin forcibly pulled the girl into his car, in front of pedestrians at Bolardepha Chowmuhani on Sunday morning at around 6.30 AM.

Later, the minor girl’s family filed a kidnapping case against the alleged abductor Main Uddin alias Sohag with Sonamura police station. On their complaints, Sonamura police station registered a case number 84/2022 of abduction under Section 363, 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and launched a manhunt to find the abductors including rescuing the school-girl.

Following the incident, the police personnel of Sonamura police station went to residence of the alleged kidnapper on Monday last.

It has been learned that the alleged kidnapper Mayin Uddin alias Sohag had been giving marriage proposals to the minor girl for the past two months through various means, but neither the girl nor any of her family members agreed to the proposal. As a result of which, it is suspected that the minor girl was forcibly kidnapped by the perpetrator.

Even after 72 hours, the Sonamura police failed to rescue the minor girl and to arrest the abductors. Not only this, the police also failed to trace the phone numbers of abductors and the registration number of the vehicle used for kidnapping.

Sonamura SDPO Banoj Biplab Das told Northeast Today that they are trying to rescue the minor girl and search is underway. The police is hopeful that they will rescue the girl by Wednesday.

Furthermore, the Tripura Commission for Protection of Child Rights’ Chairperson Nilima Ghosh along with member Sharmila Chowdhury rushed to the house of the minor girl after receiving the news of the abduction.

After learning about the arrival of TCPCR Chairperson, an official from the Child Trafficking Wing of the Dhanpur Border Guard also rushed to Kalapani.

The family of the minor girl sobbed and requested the concerned authorities to bring back their daughter, as soon as possible.

Commission’s Chairperson Nilima Ghosh also spoke to Sonamura Police Station OC and Sonamura Sub-Divisional Police Officer Banoj Biplab Das for immediate rescue of the minor girl and arrest of the abductors.

On the other hand, the family members of the minor girl suspected that Sonamura Nagar Panchayat Vice-Chairman Shahjahan Miah is in contact with the abductors. However, the family of the minor girl also alleged that the police of Sonamura police station is complacent about this whole incident.

Meanwhile, a group of students of the Sonamura sub-division initially sieged the Sonamura police station and later blocked road at Sonamura Bridge Chowmuhani; marking protest against the failure of police. They demanded that their agitation will continue till the minor school-girl is been rescued.

In the context of this abduction incident, the question has started to arise among the local residents, why did the Sonamura police station staff not detain the parents of the abductors on the day of the incident for interrogation?