TURA, April 14 � The kidnap saga which unravelled with the arrest of the alleged culprit, a doctor by profession, from Mawlai in Shillong, has stunned the people due to the person in question. The abductor has been identified as Dr Jimmy Carter N Sangma, a well known personality in the town, though he was known more for his connections rather than his work.
The ordeal has left a 14 year-old Class IX student tarred for life with memories of the kidnapping haunting her. The teen has been so shocked by the ordeal that she is unwilling to meet people. Her parents have shifted her elsewhere to recuperate from the ordeal. The parents too suffered for 24 hours, from 2.30 pm on Friday to 2.30 pm on Saturday when the girl was rescued.
�My daughter�s school gets over at 2.30 pm and she comes home by the school bus. I was on that day waiting near the bus stand for her to return but she did not turn up. I initially thought she may have gone with friends or to her tuitions but when she failed to turn up even at 4.30 pm, I began to get the first pangs of panic�, the father, Nawal R Marak (name changed) said narrating the family�s ordeal.
Nawal then rushed to the school but was told she had left after the last class. The father finally filed an FIR at the Araimile Police Beat House around 7 pm. A friend then spoke to other friends who then contacted the Church with information of the missing girl.
�A group of pastors from Tura were in Shillong and were informed about the incident. They promised to keep a lookout�, said Marak.
It was then that some children said that she was last seen getting into a black Mahindra Scorpio, driven by Dr Jimmy Carter. There was another girl with her when she was picked up and the role that she played in the kidnapping is a mystery.
The kidnapping story soon spread like wildfire through social media. Apparently, the doctor was forced to immediately leave the hotel he was staying in due to the electronic media flashing news of her abduction. He tried to hide in Shillong and that was when he was caught.
The group of pastors from the Christian Revival Church, were on their way back to Tura at about 2.30 pm and were aware of the kidnapping. They suddenly spotted the black car going towards Shillong.
�We immediately turned the car to confirm if it was Dr Carter and were able to intercept him thanks to a red traffic light. We informed the police who came immediately and arrested him�, a Pastor said.
Family members, upon learning that the victim was taken away by Dr Sangma tried to contact him over the phone but he did not pick up the call, eventually switching off his mobile. If sources are to be believed there was sexual assault perpetrated on the minor girl though the medical report is yet to be received. �She was almost delusional when we found her. She had not eaten since she had left the school and almost collapsed. We took responsibility for the safety of the girl after informing her family. Her father had rushed to Shillong to take her back and we gave back his daughter, near Khanapara�, said the Pastor.
�The law should take its own course and ensure that the culprit who took my daughter and ravaged her, should be strictly punished�, said the father.
According to information, the kidnapping could point to a very disturbing trend of human trafficking. The fact that the girl had mentioned Goalpara, a well known trafficking point, when she messaged her friend, indicates there may be more to the story. The shocked girl is being counselled by the Church along with the CDPU and is said to be recovering.
