Imphal, August 25: Two children have reportedly been kidnapped in Senapati district.

The incident took place at East Sapermeina along NH-39 under Sapermeina police station in Senapati district at about 5 pm yesterday.

Though three children somehow managed to escape from the hands of the unidentified kidnappers, two children were taken away by the kidnappers.

Paogoulal Haokip (6) s/o late Paolen, his sister Tinngeichon Haokip (12) and their relative Nengneiching Mate (12) d/o Ngamlun were kidnapped by three persons who came in a white Maruti van from NH-39 near Sapermeina.

All the three children belong to Dongshum village located under Sapermeina police station, informed a police source.

The kidnapping took place while the villagers were busy with their Sunday Church service.

Quoting statements of the children, police sources said that kidnappers gagged the children and tied their hands at the back.

Soon after they left the place in the van.

As there was no conversation between the children and the kidnappers along the way, the children could not tell the community to which the kidnappers belong.

The children also two other kids in the van.

At a spot along the way, the vehicle stopped and the three kidnappers were engaged in a telephonic talk.

It was at this juncture that the children somehow escaped from the hands of the kidnappers.

However, they could not awaken the two children who were lying unconscious on the floor of the van.

As such the three children left behind the two children (a boy and a girl) who looked a little older than them, conveyed the police source.

As they walked along, they came across a Kuki man.

The man then handed the three children to Kuki Christian Hospital, Dewlahland.

According to Rebika Lenmang (45), aunt of the three children, all the villagers came out and searched for the children last night.

Much later, they were informed that the children were at Dewlahland.

They took home the children this morning.

Paogoulal is a KG-I student in Salem High School, Sapermeina while his sister Tinngeichon is reading in class V in the same school.

Their parents��Paolen and Hetchin expired four/five years back.

Paolen was Rebika's was elder brother.

Nengneiching, daughter of Rebika's sister-in-law Hetchi Mate is reading in class IV in St Vincent School located at Ponmaul near Motbung.

Meanwhile Sapermeina police have taken up a suo motto case in connection with the two missing children.

Moreover, village authorities have been asked to launch publicity campaign in their villages on the kidnapped children.

Strongly condemning the kidnapping incident, president of Kuki Inpi Sadar Hill, Chungkam Haokip has demanded that the group involved should come out with an explanation at the earliest in case the act was not perpetrated by some gangs.

He also appealed to the Government to take up stringent security measures so as to prevent such incidents in future.