IMPHAL, March 4 (NNN): A quick action of the police rescued a driver from being killed by unidentified gunmen who kidnapped him along with his vehicle in Manipur’s Imphal East district on Thursday night, a police source said on Friday.
In the rescue operation, the police recovered a .32 pistol suspected to belong to the kidnappers. The gunmen, however, escaped taking advantage of the darkness of the night, the police source also said.
The rescued driver has been identified as Noor Khan (39)Â Khumidhong under Heingang police station of Imphal East district, the police also stated.
The police quoting the rescued driver said that the driver was kidnapped from Salanthong area of Khurai on his way back home after work from Dharamsala, around 6 pm.
Six gunmen who came on two two-wheelers stopped him while proceeding towards his home in his vehicle (Tata Mega Excel) at gunpoint at Salanthong and forced him to drive along Imphal-Ukhrul Road with four of the six gunmen in his vehicle, the police said quoting the driver.
Upon reaching Chingarel Tezpur, they asked him to alight from his vehicle at gunpoint. Taking advantage of the darkness of the area, the driver ran towards the paddy field nearby after locking the vehicle and concealed himself in a pile of paddy straw, according to the version of the driver who told the police.
According to the police version, a police team along with personnel of the Heingang police station on a rescue operation on receiving the information of whisking away of the driver intercepted the vehicle being abandoned on the side of the Imphal-Ukhrul road near Chingarel Tezpur.
They immediately launched a massive search operation in and around the place where the vehicle (Tata Mega Excel) was found parked.
While chasing after the kidnappers, the police intercepted the driver who was hiding himself amid the pile of paddy straw, the police also said.
The police continued the operation till late in the night to nab the kidnappers. However, no arrest of the suspect was made, the police added.
