Guwahati: In a major breakthrough, Assam police apprehended a suspected linkman of proscribed ULFA–(Independent) in Duliajan in Assam’s Dibrugarh district on Friday night.
The arrested individual has been identified as Bitupan Gogoi alias Bablu, a resident of Lahowal.
As per reports, police recovered a 7.65 mm pistol, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) from his possession.
According to police, he was also involved in multiple extortion cases across the Ujan area.
He was arrested after reportedly collecting Rs 2 lakh from Sepan Doba Tea Garden.
Police claimed that Gogoi has been engaged in extortion activities, targeting various locations in Upper Assam over an extended period.
Police investigations revealed that Gogoi had planned to detonate an improvised explosive device (IED) at the Wilton Oil Depot, a major tanker storage facility in the region.
It has been found that he was trained specifically to make IEDs from a camp run by the NSCN (National Socialist Council of Nagaland).
Police also seized other objectionable material from him, which is currently under examination.
Authorities have committed to a comprehensive investigation to ascertain the extent of Gogoi’s network and the objectives of his actions.
Legal action will be taken based on the findings of this investigation, police said.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on December 16 arrested an alleged operative of the banned terrorist outfit, ULFA (I), on the charge of planting improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Guwahati during the Independence Day celebrations this year.
NIA teams, with the active support of Assam Police, carried out searches at the house of Jahnu Baruah alias Arnab Axom in Dibrugarh.
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The NIA said that the accused confessed to planting IEDs at Panbazar, Dispur, Gandhi Mandap and Satgaon in Guwahati.
