The Changlang police have done a commendable job by arresting all the people involved in the kidnapping of an oil company employee who was kidnapped last month. Though the employee was released after the company ended up paying ransom, the police managed to arrest most of the accused, and also recovered Rs 28.19 lakhs from the negotiated ransom of Rs 40 lakhs. This is one rare case where the police immediately arrested the accused and also recovered some money.
The eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh is witnessing a sudden rise in the crime rate over the last few years. Districts like Tirap, Changlang and Longding have been battling Naga insurgency problems for the last many decades. However, even districts like Namsai, Lower Dibang and East Siang, which were considered to be peaceful, are now witnessing a rise in the crime rate. Many incidents of kidnapping, extortion, rape, etc, have hit these districts. Unfortunately, many of them are not reported in the media and therefore people are not aware of it. People end up paying ransom money without informing anyone out of fear. Also, it is seen that the districts which share boundaries with neighbouring Assam are the worst affected. There are many interstate criminal gangs operating in these areas. They are taking advantage of the topography of the area to their benefit. The state police have to take on this new emerging challenge. Apart from the usual insurgency groups, now they have to fight the criminal gangs operating from the peripheries of the Arunachal-Assam boundaries.