Call for assistance
Jorhat, Aug. 7: Assam police have sought help from the tea industry and the business community in Upper Assam to thwart extortion attempts by Ulfa militants.
The police have identified at least 15 phone numbers from which Ulfa militants have contacted tea garden owners and businessmen and demanding money recently.
“Most of these calls are being made either from Nagaland or Arunachal Pradesh to businessmen and tea planters in Upper Assam in the name of Ulfa,” the deputy inspector-general of police (eastern range), Anurag Tankha, said.
A meeting was held here yesterday among representatives of the Upper Assam Chamber of Commerce, tea industry and the police.
The police sought the help of the representatives in the meeting.
The deputy inspector-general of police was also present on the occasion.
A similar meeting was held in Dibrugarh on Thursday.
Sources said the police have also warned the tea and business communities not to concede to extortion demands and to inform the police immediately if any demands were made.
The police have warned of action against anyone found paying money to Ulfa.
A businessman who attended yesterday’s meeting said the police have promised to maintain secrecy and also to provide security to anyone providing information about extortion demands.
The Upper Assam Chamber of Commerce has convened an emergency meeting of its members on Wednesday to discuss the matter.
Sources in the chamber said they would appeal to the members to inform the police about extortion demands from Ulfa or any other militant organisation.
Another police official said the involvement of criminals behind these recent phone calls to businessmen and tea garden owners cannot be ruled out, as there have been instances of such criminals kidnapping businessmen in Upper Assam in the name of Ulfa.
“We have arrested several members of such gangs who were involved in a series of kidnappings in Upper Assam, especially in Tinsukia district,” he said.
He, however, said, as these calls are being traced to Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, there is more of a possibility of Ulfa involvement.
There were reports of Ulfa militants trying to regroup in Mon district of Nagaland, bordering Sivasagar district, in recent times.
Police sources said a 20-member group of Ulfa militants, led by Rupanjal Kakoti and “sergeant major” Akon Gogoi, entered Assam recently to carry out sabotage and extortion activities.
The police also managed to apprehend a member of the group, Gan Tipomia, from Borhat in Sivasagar district a few days ago.
On basis of his confession, the police recovered a consignment of explosives from a paddy field in Charaideo on Friday night.
Security forces have launched an operation along the state’s border with Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland in search of militants.
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