Government official kidnapped, Rs 1 cr ransom demanded

A government official was kidnapped by suspected Kuki militants in Manipur, while he was on his way to office from home. The militants have demanded Rs 1 crore as ransom for his release.

Suspected Kuki militants kidnapped a Manipur government official for a huge ransom of Rupees one crore, official reports said in Imphal today.

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The armed militants abducted farm overseer (FO) Nameirakpam Nabakumar (56), while he was going from his house, situated in Luwangsangbam, about eight km north of Imphal, to his office at a sericulture project centre at Sangaipat in Imphal on May 20, the reports said.

The abduction came to light when some callers who identified themselves as militants of the United Kuki Liberation
Army-Military Council (UKLA-MC) informed the family members on Thursday night that Nabakumar was in their custody and demanded an immediate payment of Rs 50 lakh by his department for his safe release, reports stated.

Within a couple of days, the ultras called up again, raising the ransom demand to Rupees one crore "since the initial amount of Rs 50 lakh was not paid promptly as asked", and threatened to kill the official if the entire amount was not handed over.

At the sericulture department, several employees launched a sit-in protest yesterday against the abduction and appealed to the ultras to release the official unharmed without any pre-condition.