Auto driver kidnapped in Mizoram inter-state drug deal, Rescued by Cachar Police

The illegal drug trade in Cachar is at its peak. Youths from the villages in the inter-state border are either involved in its trade to make easy money. But it often ends up in police custody or gang wars. In a recent incident, one such inter-state drug trade ended up in kidnapping and demanding ransom. A 23-year-old auto driver was kidnapped from the Assam-Mizoram border on January 26, and on the early morning of February 1, he was rescued by Cachar Police.

Cachar Police successfully rescued a 23-year-old auto driver, Ashraful Haque Laskar, from the Assam-Mizoram border in the early hours of February 1. Ashraful, a resident of Dholai Khulichara, was kidnapped on January 26 by armed criminals allegedly linked to the interstate drug trade.

According to reports, Ashraful was lured into the trip by a neighbour, Yahya Laskar, who booked his auto for a journey to Chaiphai in Mizoram. After reaching the border, Ashraful went missing, and the following day, his father received a ransom demand of ₹10 lakh from an unknown caller.

Despite being advised against approaching the police, Ashraful’s father filed an FIR on January 29, implicating Yahya and two others. That night, the kidnappers escalated their threats, claiming Ashraful was being held in a forest in Manipur. The kidnappers later sent a video showing Ashraful blindfolded and surrounded by armed men, threatening to kill him if the ransom was not paid.

Recounting the ordeal, Samur Raja Laskar said, “On January 26, Yahya took my son on a reserved trip in his auto. That night, when I tried calling Ashraful, his phone was off. The next morning, I got a call from an unknown number, and a man speaking in Mizo told me that my son had been caught with ‘dawai’ (local slang for drugs). He told me, ‘Do you want your son back, or should we hand him over to the police?’ I was shocked and didn’t know what to do.”

“When I confronted Yahya’s family, they assured me that they would bring my son back and asked me not to go to the police. Days passed, but they failed to do anything. Eventually, villagers gathered and demanded action. When nothing worked, I had no choice but to file an FIR,” he added.

Cachar SP Numal Mahatta personally oversaw the rescue operation, which commenced on January 31. With the cooperation of Mizoram police, the team tracked down Ashraful in a jungle near the Assam-Mizoram border and rescued him unharmed.

Speaking about the case, SP Mahatta confirmed that the kidnapping was linked to drug trafficking. “From our preliminary investigation, it is clear that this is an inter-state drug trade-related matter. The accused and the victim had prior dealings, and drugs played a role in this incident. We will apprehend all those involved,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Yahya Laskar, the prime suspect, has reportedly fled, and efforts are underway to locate and arrest him.