Forces successfully rescue abducted Indian Army officer

Imphal: Security forces rescued a serving Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Indian Army hours after he was kidnapped from his home on Friday. The officer was kidnapped by 'unidentified elements' from Thoubal district in Manipur, IANS reported.

A defence spokesman said that Naib Subedar Konsam Kheda Singh, a resident of Charangpat Mamang Leikai in Thoubal district, was abducted while on leave from his residence on Friday morning.

Army columns, along with other security forces, immediately launched a coordinated joint search operation, which led to the rescue of the JCO on Friday evening.

The JCO is currently at the Waikhong police station in Thoubal district.

Though the exact cause of the abduction is not known yet, media reports suggested that it was an extortion attempt, as his family had received such threats in the past.

Besides the coordinated search operation, checking of all vehicles plying on National Highway-102 (Imphal-Moreh) was conducted to locate the JCO.

Further investigation is underway.

Since the outbreak of ethnic violence in Manipur in May last year, soldiers and security personnel, be they on leave or duty or their relatives, have been targeted for nefarious interests.

On February 27, the house of Amit Singh, Additional Superintendent of Police (Operations), Moirangthem, was attacked in Imphal. The attackers also abducted him and intimidated his family members by firing in the air, besides vandalising properties.

The officer was later rescued due to the timely intervention by the security forces.