Police have safely rescued Sunil Kumar Bindal, 49, a businessman based in Birtamod who was abducted from Kankadvitta six days ago, from Dharampur VDC-2 on February 6. Two including a policeman were injured in a bid to rescue Bindal when the police and the abductors exchanged fire. Bindal went out of contact on February 18 evening as he was heading for Siliguri. The incident became public after the Bansal family reported to police that Bansal had gone missing. SP Mukunda Acharya said that the police managed to rescue in after intense search for six days. Police say that Bindal’s friend Bajrang Pansari had taken him to a brick kiln in Mechinagar in his motorcycle in the pretext of having lunch. Police have arrested Pansari along with Keshav Phunyal of Birtamod Municipality-7, Bhuwan Karki of Parabari in Dharampur VDC-3, Raj Kumar Thapa, of Kokrajhar Athiyabari of Assam, Phaud Singh Tamang of Chirang in Assam on the charge of being involved in the abduction. Search for some other abductors are on, SP Acharya said. Bindal was rescued from the house of Harka Kandangwa of Dharampur VDC-2. During the operation, there was an exchange of fire which left abductor Tamang and ASI Rajendra Chauhan of Regional Police Office, Rani who was shot in the right leg. Both the injured are being treated at Birta City Hospital, Birtamod, SP Chauhan said. 

Arjun Basnet