Hyderabad/Chirala (Prakasam): Bodo militants kidnapped an engineer hailing from Prakasam district from near a construction site along the Aie river in Chirang district of Assam on Sunday evening.
The militants, wearing military camouflage, took away senior engineer Battula Ankana Rao of Bollineni Seenaiah and Company after beating up three colleagues. They were installing transmission towers for the PowerGrid Corporation.
Rao had spoken with his wife Vani over phone at 3.30 pm, two hours before the abduction. The couple has two daughters. Rao belongs to Pedda Jagarlamudivaripalem of Yaddanapudi mandal in Prakasam district.
This is the second incident involving an engineer from AP. Chintala Paidi Raju of Visakhapatnam had been kidnapped by Bodo militants in February. He was subsequently released unharm-ed after the company paid ransom. The Assam police provided security cover to the team following that kidnap.
Seenaiah and Co. manager S. Bhaskar told this correspondent over phone from Assam that Mr Rao had moved about 500 met-res away from the site while taking a phone call at 5.30 pm on Sunday when the militants struck.
Rao didn’t take guards along
Seenaiah and Co. manager S. Bhaskar said that senior engineer Battula Ankana Rao, who was abducted by Bodo militants, and his team had been given a platoon of home guards for security. “He didn’t take the home guards with him when he moved away,” Bhaskar said. Bhaskar said the company hadn’t received any communication from the kidnappers.
“It take two days for them to call,” Bhaskar said and added that PowerGrid Corporation is also working to get Rao released.
Rao, who has been with Seenaiah and Co. for 11 years, was posted to Assam a year ago. He came to the project site two months ago. Rao’s family said they were informed in the morning of the kidnap, and that the company had assured that it would secure his safe release. The family stays at Ramakrishnapuram in Chirala.
Rao’s wife Vani said that he was pursuing his BTech in Nagarjuna University and had to write his exams in May next.
Rao’s relatives described him as “very affable” and dedicated to his work. They had a tough time in consoling his father Venkateswarlu and mother Mangamma.
