A 30-year-old man was rescued on Tuesday from the Kadamtala police station area in North Tripura district, hours after he was allegedly abducted while attending a religious event in Dharmanagar. The incident led to tension and vandalism in parts of the area, prompting police to intervene and restore order.
The rescued man has been identified as Biswanath Das, a resident of the Nidebi area under Kumarghat police station. Police sources said Das had arrived in Dharmanagar from Kumarghat by a local train on Monday to attend a Harinam Sankirtan at an akhara in the Chandrapur Garjantilla area.
According to Das’s statement to the police, after consuming prasad at the religious venue, he was walking along a nearby road when two or three unidentified youths approached him asking for cigarettes. He alleged that he was then overpowered, blindfolded and taken to unknown locations, where he was forced to walk throughout the night.
Police said Das managed to escape in the early hours of Tuesday after his alleged captors fell asleep at a house in Chitaldor village under Bishnupur gram panchayat. He reportedly freed himself and sought assistance from local residents, who later informed the Kadamtala police station.
Following the incident, local residents gathered outside the house of Abdul Khalek, a resident of Ward No. 4, suspecting the involvement of the household. The suspicion was reportedly based on alleged links of a relative of Khalek with human trafficking networks. The situation escalated when an agitated crowd allegedly vandalised the house, leaving Khalek and his wife, Nasima Begum, injured.
Senior police officials, including Sub-Divisional Police Officer Jayanta Karmakar, Additional Superintendent of Police Kamal Debbarma and Superintendent of Police Abhinash Rai, rushed to the spot and managed to bring the situation under control.
The victim, along with Khalek and his wife, were taken to Kadamtala police station for questioning. Police said they are examining whether the incident was an abduction or related to some other dispute. “There are inconsistencies in the initial version. All angles, including the possibility of a narcotics-related transaction, are being investigated,” a senior police officer said.
No arrests have been made so far. Further investigation is underway.
