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Assam: Black Widow militants abduct 3
By K Anurag in Guwahati
September 29, 2007 15:40 IST

Tribal militants from the anti-peace talk faction of Dima Halam Daogah called Black Widow, abducted three employees of a Delhi-based construction company from a place called Muktacherra in Cachar district of South Assam on Friday.

It happened to be second incident of abduction by the suspected Black Widow militants in a week since September 22.

According to the police, at least 10 armed Black Widow militants wearing olive green battle fatigues attacked the camp of the construction company at Muktacherra in Cachar district and took away three workers at gunpoint.

The abducted workers were identified as Samiran Shuklavaidya, a supervisor and drivers Raju Khan and Munna Khan.

The police and the army have launched a manhunt in the neighbouring thick forest areas to trace the abducted persons.

Earlier on September 22, the group abducted three members of the Assam rural development department, including a block development officer, a junior engineer and a gram sevak from Umrangshu in North Cachar hill district and subsequently demanded Rs 10 crore ransom from the government for safe release of the captives.

Police suspected that the construction company employees were abducted by the militants to put pressure on the company to cough up money.

The Black Widow group, which is a breakway group of the DHD that is now in ceasefire agreement with the government of India, has created panic in its bastions in North Cachar Hill through its rampant extortion drives sparing not even government staff working in the hill district.

K Anurag in Guwahati
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