IMPHAL, January 2: Amidst the hue and cry against the rising crime committed against women and children in the State, a non-local was today caught trying to traffic three minors in Tamenglong District.
According to a police source, the non-local has been identified as one Ozish, 45 from Maharashtra. It said the incident took place at around 8 in the morning at Kambiron under Nunba Police Station of Tamenglong District.
It continued that the minors are from Nungba area, two boys and one girl, all of them between 5-7 years. They were found travelling with Ozish on a Maruti Alto car with registration No. MNH-12-BP-5992 when 87 BN of CRPF personnel were conducting routine check on vehicles at Kambiron post.
Further it said the CRPF on suspicion started questioning the said non-local thereafter the minors revealed that they were kidnapped by him. Afterwards, the CRPF personnel took the minors and the non-local inside their camp for further questioning, the source added.
The source continued that on hearing the news of minors being caught with a non-local, parents of the said minors along with a large number of villagers stormed the CRPF Camp. They demanded that the children along with the alleged kidnapper be handed over to them, the source added.
The CRPF personnel had a hard time controlling the furious villagers who were adamant their demands be met, the source continued.
Police enforcement had to be called in from Tamenglong District headquarters, the source said.
Additional SP and SP of Tamenglong rushed to the spot to control the situation and the children were handed over to their parents, the source further said.
However, the Alto car in which the minors were taken was set on fire by the enraged villagers angry that the kidnapper was not handed over to them, the source added.
No further detail could be culled regarding any possibility of involvement of more people in the alleged kidnapping of the minors at the time of filing this report.