A 16-member police team from Jorhat, Assam, found themselves in hot water on Tuesday night when Google Maps mistakenly led them into Nagaland during a raid to catch a wanted criminal. The team, in pursuit of the accused, inadvertently crossed the border into Nagaland’s Mokokchung district, where locals mistook them for armed miscreants and detained them overnight.
According to a senior Assam Police officer, the team relied on GPS, indicating their target was in a tea garden within Assam. However, the location turned out to be in Nagaland, resulting in the unintended border crossing.
“The locals, spotting the team—13 of whom were in plainclothes—assumed they were miscreants carrying sophisticated weapons,” the officer said. The situation escalated when the locals attacked the officers, injuring one, and held the entire team captive.
On learning about the incident, the Jorhat police swiftly contacted the Mokokchung Superintendent of Police. A rescue team was dispatched, and five members of the Assam Police team, including the injured officer, were released that night. However, the remaining 11 officers were held captive until the following morning.
