India, March 12 -- Twenty-one Naga passengers abducted by suspected armed Kuki volunteers near Mongkot Chephu on the Ukhrul-Imphal route were released and handed over to police on Thursday, officials reported.

While the civilians were freed, their vehicles and mobile phones remain in captivity following tensions and cross-allegations of violence between community groups, prompting calls for peace.

The passengers, including five women, were held captive after the two vehicles they were travelling in were forcibly stopped and taken to Mongkot Chephu, a Kuki village in Ukhrul district.

In a development promoting peaceful co-existence, the detained individuals were handed over to the Superintendent of Police of Ukhrul district on Thursday ...