IMPHAL, November 9: Manipur Hills and Backward Development Co-operation Bank assistant marketing officer Ibomcha Tongbram who escaped on October 26 after being held captive for 55 days has refuted the claim of Twisomjang Village chief Letmang Haopkip that he was not kidnapped but only detained.
Ibomcha alleged that he and his friend, Meghachandra, were handed over to some unknown armed gunmen after they were duped into following Haokip under the pretext of meeting the chief of a village, located in a remote hill in Churachandpur on August 29.
“However, Haokip released Meghachandra to return with the ransom. After being held captive for long, I noticed the UKLF insignia on the sleeves of those armed gunmen. I also figured out that I was being held captive in an UKLF camp and Letmang Haopki had hired the UKLF cadres”, Ibomcha narrated.
Decrying the actions of Haokip, he alleged that the sum deposited for a bank loan was done without the consultation of the UKLF.
It wouldn’t be implausible if one were to say that Letmang Haokip set up the whole thing to ruin the reputation of UKLF, he added.
“On September 14 while I was being held captive, a sum of Rs 2 lakhs was handed over to Haokip by Meghachandra from our bank in an undisclosed place in Sugnu”, Ibomcha said.
Ibomcha further claimed that another sum of Rs 20, 000 was given to Haokip by his family members on September 20.
On the day of paying Rs 20,000, he and his friend, Meghachandra, were brutally assaulted in front of his brother by Haokip saying that the sum was far less than the ransom demanded, Ibomcha alleged.
Due to these reasons the claim made by Letmang Haokip that he didn’t kidnap but only detained me is baseless, Ibomcha stressed, adding there has never been an instance anywhere in the world in which a person has detained another for 55 days.
Clarifying to UKLF, he said that he was not kidnapped by them but simply handed over to them by Letmang Haokip. He further clarified that he didn’t have any personal enmity with the organisation and didn’t escape from their camp but from a house located near one of their camps.