Assam Police held captive by Nagas after Google Maps lands them in Nagaland

Locals mistake them for criminals, hold captive overnight

Guwahati: A 16-member team of the Assam Police inadvertently strayed into Nagaland’s Mokokchung district during a raid while they were following directions on Google Maps, and was attacked by locals and held captive overnight, an official said on Wednesday.

According to a senior official of Assam Police, the incident occurred on Tuesday night when a team of the Jorhat District Police was carrying out a raid to apprehend an accused.

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“It was a tea garden area, which was shown in Assam on Google Maps. However, it was actually inside Nagaland. The team went inside Nagaland in pursuit of the criminal due to confusion and misleading guidance on GPS,” he said.

The locals thought the Assam Police team to be some miscreants carrying sophisticated arms and detained them, he said.

“Of the 16 personnel, only three were in uniform and the rest were in civil dress. This also led to confusion among the locals. They also attacked the team and one of our personnel was injured,” he added.

Upon receiving the information of the hostile situation in Nagaland, the Jorhat Police immediately contacted Mokokchung Superintendent of Police, who sent a team to the spot to rescue the Assam Police personnel.

“The locals then realised that it was a genuine police team from Assam and released five members, including the injured person.

“They, however, held the remaining 11 persons as captives overnight. They were released in the morning and reached Jorhat later,” the official said.