Maharashtra forest official kidnapped by Bodo militants returns

Maharashtra forest official Vilas Bardekar, released after being held captive allegedly by Bodo militants for 83 days, today met Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and forest minister Patangrao Kadam and briefed them about his ordeal.

Bardekar, joint director of Social Forestry, was abducted on May 12, from a forest in Arunachal Pradesh. He was released yesterday at Dhekiajuli in Assam and left immediately for Guwahati from where he reached Mumbai.

The 1984 batch Indian Forest Service officer, was kidnapped from a forest in Arunachal's West Kameng district while he was carrying out a study on butterfly species there.

"They (my abductors) used to tell me often that I will surely return home," Bardekar said, after meeting Chavan at his official residence and Kadam at Mantralaya.

"From their behaviour, I never thought that they would do any such thing," Bardekar told reporters when asked if he feared being killed by the militants.

The abductors were in the age group of 20 to 26 years, he said, adding the place where he was kept "looked like a terrorist camp."

Asked if there was truth in the reports that a huge ransom was paid to ensure his release, Bardekar said, "I am not aware of any such thing."

"Maharashtra government did a lot to facilitate my release," Bardekar said.

"I missed my daughter the most during those 83 days in captivity," he said.