GUWAHATI: In a major breakthrough, troops of Indian Army in a joint operation with Assam police busted a recruitment racket of the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) and rescued a minor from Charaideo district in Upper Assam on Monday.
Based on a specific input, the joint teams launched a coordinated operation spread over Charaideo and Dibrugarh districts and apprehended one hardcore cadre and four over ground workers (OGWs) belonging to the proscribed group, an official statement issued here, said.
The apprehended persons have been identified as Baldev Teli, an ULFA (I) cadre, while the OGWs comprise Amit Bara, Sumit Baig, Azad Gohran and Vijay. They were allegedly involved in a recruitment racket in the region.
The rescued minor was newly recruited and has been handed over to his parents in the presence of villagers after counselling. The teams also recovered one 7.62 mm pistol, 2 rounds of ammunition, mobile phones and SIM cards.
The parents of the rescued minor appreciated the efforts of security forces and also expressed their gratitude for the compassion in the safe return of their ward. The individuals and recovered items have been handed over to Assam police for further investigation.
It may be mentioned that along with the fight against the coronavirus, counter-insurgency operations have been intensified by the security forces in Charaideo district based on general information about the movement of ULFA (I) cadres in the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh-Nagaland border areas.
