Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

Orphanage served Rs 30 lakh demand note

By Raju Das

SHILLONG, Aug 23 - An orphanage and a school affiliated to the Ramakrishna Mission, along the Meghalaya-Assam border in Kuralbanga, West Garo Hills, was served an extortion note of Rs 30 lakh on Thursday.

It is unclear who served the extortion note. It could be one of the many militant groups or the several gangs and dacoits teeming in the region.

�We cannot say now clearly who has served the demand note. It could be a fake demand note too. The Police are investigating the case,� West Garo Hills DC Pravin Bakshi told The Assam Tribune over phone.

Bakshi said criminals from both side of the border operate in the area, sometimes together. �We are in touch with our Assam counterpart and trying to solve this case,� the DC said.

The area where the school and orphanage are located is adjacent to Dhubri district. Some of the places in Assam such as Hatsingimari and Mankachar are known to have petty criminal gangs and dacoits, involved in extortion and kidnapping.

On the Meghalaya side similar gangs operate together with splintered militant groups.�On earlier occasions, traders from Assam were kidnapped. Passions ran high, which had the potential to spill over as communal tension,� Bakshi stated.

The school is in Meghalaya and the orphanage is on Assam side. Both the institutions have been rendering humanitarian service to the people of the area for decades.

Earlier this year, a retired teacher of Don Bosco school Gaganendra Sanyal was abducted from his house at Kuralbanga by criminals. Sanyal was released after paying ransom and the Police later gunned down one of the gang members.

Last year, a similar demand note was served to a Catholic Mission in Ampati, South West Garo Hills. The demand note was reportedly served by a group called A�chik National Liberation Army (ANLA).

�Sometimes, these petty gangs serve the demand note masquerading as militant organisations. They also serve demand note through SMSes,� Bakshi said.

Next Story