Mizoram kidnapping: Militants press for ransom,issue threat call

Militants who kidnapped three men at the India-Bangladesh border in Mizoram last month have said they will not be responsible for whatever happens to the hostages if a Rs 5 crore ransom is not paid by Christmas.

The suspected National Liberation Front of Tripura militants issued the threat though a telephone call to the Vanglaini newspaper,Mizorams most widely circulated daily,on Thursday. The caller identified himself as Lalduhawma,a Bru outlaw who has been on the radar of intelligence officers for years.

He said he was calling on behalf of the Bru Democratic Front of Mizoram. But sources said there is no such outfit and suspected it to be an alibi for the NLFT,which has for decades been targeting Bengali settlers in Tripura.