IOC manager freed, officials’ protest ends
New Delhi   25-Jan-2011

Senior division retail sales manager of IOC in Imphal, KI Singh, who was abducted by suspected armed cadre of the People’s Support Group (PSG) on January 21 night, has been freed safely.

According to Bijyenti, wife of Singh, the IOC officer was abducted by some four/five individuals who came in a car from Khonghampat agricultural fields when Singh was returning home from Chingmeirong IOC depot.

The abductors took Singh to a hill village located a little away from Awang Leikinthabi under Sekmai police station. He was kept hostage in a house there, it was stated.

The abductors reportedly told the owners of the house that Singh was a drug abuser. However, members of the family exerted strong pressure on the abductors to release him without any delay. “Through mobile phone we talked with the abductors and made fervent appeals to free my husband safely. Hearing our appeal, they released my husband without inflicting any harm”, Bijyenti said. However, Singh’s personal mobile phone handset was confiscated by the abductors.

On hearing about the safe release of Singh, IOC officials who were staging a protest demonstration in front of Chingmeirong oil depot cut short their agitation and went to his home at Sekmai.

As Singh has been released, Chingmeirong oil depot and oil pumps would resume service from Monday. Likewise, petroleum product transporters would also come back to duty. But all oil pumps remained closed on Monday in protest against the abduction of Singh. This provided unfair opportunity to the black-marketers. One litre of petrol was sold at Rs. 80 in front of Mantripukhri NRL oil pump. The price of petrol rose to Rs. 100 per litre in front of Khurai NRL oil pump.