Agartala, May 29: Biswajit Jamatya, 58, and his wife, Annapati, 55, on Friday received a letter that changed their lives. In their humble hut, a Red Cross worker handed them the document in which their son, who was missing for 16 years, was asking for help to end his incarceration in Bangladesh.

Biswajit and Annapati last saw their son, Amarbiswa, on June 3, 2000. He was just 14 then and allegedly joined the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT). He was presumably arrested by Bangladeshi police and then landed in Maulvi Bazar district jail, where he has been languishing ever since. Police have not even filed a chargesheet against him.

Unsure of how to get back their son, Biswajit and Annapati implored the letter bearer, Nandita Chakraborty of Red Cross Society's Tripura unit, for help.

Chakraborty assured them of taking up the issue with the national Red Cross in New Delhi and with the Union external affairs ministry.

"We will soon send the letter and we have already got it signed by Biswajit and Annapati. The letters will go in a day or two." Chakraborty said. Amarbiswa got in touch with the Red Cross in Bangladesh in May.

"The Red Cross in Bangladesh took up the case seriously and brought the matter to the notice of the Indian Red Cross in New Delhi. We got the letter from New Delhi on May 27 morning and reached Malbasa in Amarpur to deliver the letter. Since we have received an appeal from Amarbiswa's parents to secure their son's release, we will now pursue the case," Chakraborty said.

Biswajit and Annapati are very old residents of Malbasa village, 6km from Amarpur subdivsional town in Gomati district. They own small plots of land and also work as day-labourers during the off-season to make ends meet. Besides Amarbiswa, the couple have two daughters, Kanayapati and Biswalaxmi.

"We still remember the day, June 3, 2000, when our only son, Amarbiswa, had gone out of home in the morning but never returned. We informed the Amarpur police station and a missing diary was recorded but our son did not return," Biswajit said.

Months turned into years, but Amarbiswa did not return. The couple spoke to many surrendered NLFT militants regarding their son but nobody could give any information.

"We finally got reconciled to the idea that our only son might have been killed in action or died of some disease without treatment in jungle," Biswajit said.

Chakraborty expressed the hope that after the Red Cross authority in Delhi and the Indian external affairs ministry take up the issue the matter will be solved and Amarbiswa released . "Our national Red Cross authority will persuade the Union external affairs ministry to take up the issue seriously," she said.

She also indicated that the state government's intervention would also be sought.