Kidnapped Tripura engineer released

AGARTALA, August 19: A Tripura government engineer, working at the Dambur hydel project of South Tripura district, has been released by the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) after nine months of captivity following payment of a heavy ransom, police sources said on Wednesday. Gurupada Guchhait, who had been abducted from the protected area of the project on November 27 last year, reported at the office of the power department at Amarpur at 10.30 pm on night and said the ultras had just released him. Guchhait had been suffering from different ailments during his nine-month captivity and is undergoing treatment, family sources said, adding, they had to pay Rs 10.5 lakh as ransom for his release. They alleged that despite requests, the state government did not help in Guchhait's release and said they had to sell their landed property in West Bengal's Midnapore for the payment of ransom. Two junior engineers, Rabindra De and Bikash, Das and foreman Makahan Mallik were also kidnapped by the ultras along with Guchhait. They killed De as he protested against the kidnapping. Guchhait informed the police that the two others were still alive.