Hill Voice, May 8, 2020, Bandarban:  An army-backed armed group has allegedly abducted three villagers, including a village Karbari (village head) in Ruma upazila of Bandarban district. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of several lakh Takas from the abducted relatives over mobile phones.

It is learnt that the abductors opened fire on the villagers while they were searching for the abductees. Besides, three other persons, including one from Rowangchhari, are reported to have been missing in Ruma. The abduction and attack have caused extreme panic among the people in the area.

According to locals, the so-called Mog Party, a group of army-backed and local Awami League-supported armed terrorists who defected from the ALP, was involved in the abduction of three villagers, including the village Karbari, and the disappearance of three others.

A villager, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that all the abductees, except Pruesanu Karbari, were once ALP members. Recently, they left the ALP and introduce themselves as Mog Liberation Party. Since then, under the protection of the security forces and the local leadership of the ruling party, they have been carrying out terrorist activities such as extortion, kidnapping, ransom, killing and so on.

Due to internal quarrels between them developed recently, abduction or disappearance of the mentioned villagers including the village Karbari took place, he added

According to local sources, Lusaimong Marma, son of Manchu Marma, a headman of Paindu Mouza in Ruma Upazila, went missing on Friday, April 3, 2020 due to this internal conflict within the so-called Mog Party.

On Sunday afternoon, April 5, locals went to set fire to the Jum field in the hillside and recovered blood-stained dead body of Lusaimong from a fountain in the remote hills of the Baganpara area of ​​Paindu Union.

Local sources have confirmed that internal conflicts within the alleged Mog Party have intensified since the killing of Paindu Headman’s son.

Local sources further said that on Thursday, April 30, 2020, Kyachanu Marma alias Thuinumong (32), son of late Lubuse Marma and Aungthuiching Marma (35), son of Chingsajai Marma, went missing from Kakkhyongjhiri of ​​Galengjong area while they were returning home from Ruma Bazar.

As the missing persons did not return, on Tuesday 5 May 2020, people from five villages went to search for them and recovered the shoes of the missing persons. But the abductees were not found. The villagers believed that after the abduction, the terrorists of the so-called Mog Party could kill them.

On the other hand, Bashaimong Marma from Rowangchhari, Hla Shai Aung Marma of Alechu Para of Paindu Union of Ruma and another Tripura man have been missing since the beginning of this month, locals said.

Many believes that the three persons were abducted by so-called Mog Party terrorists. Again, many villagers guess that they could have been detained in army camps. In order to divert the situation into other direction, the army can keep them in camps with the intention of using them for terrorist activities like kidnapping, killing, extortion etc. in the area.

At the last, on Wednesday afternoon, May 6, 2020, the Karbari of Rijuk village, Prusanu Marma (38), was abducted. He was reportedly abducted on Friday when he went to Jum field.

Locals said that on that day (May 7) at noon, while local villagers went for searching for the missing persons, the terrorists opened fire on them near Naitang Para in Pantla area of ​​Sangu river in Ruma upazila. However, no casualties were reported in the incident.

A local representative denied to be named said that at that time, around 40 villagers by few boats were heading towards the Rijuk waterfall in search of the missing. When they reached at Pantla area around 12:30 pm, terrorists fired 10-12 rounds at them from the hill of Naitang area. Later they returned in panic, he added.

Then on Thursday morning, May 7, 2020, the kidnappers called Karbari’s wife and told her in Marma language, “If you want to save your husband, you have to pay six lakh Takas as ransom.” Her husband was in Tongmok Para area, the kidnappers said.

On the other hand, on the afternoon of the same day (May 7), the kidnappers called Thuihlaching Marma, the elder brother of abductee Thuinumong Marma, and said, “If you want to save your brother, you have to pay two lakh Takas.” However, the kidnappers did not mention anything about where and when to pay.

One after another abduction, assaults and demanding of ransom caused extreme panic among the people in the area.