GUWAHATI, April 23: Assam Police has received specific information about militant outfit, United Liberation of Asom-Independent’s (ULFA-I) involvement in the abduction of three Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) employees from a gas gathering station in Lakwa in Sivasagar district of Upper Assam in the wee hours of Wednesday.
Mohini Mohan Gogoi (35), junior technician (production) of Dibrugarh district, Ritul Saikia (33), junior technician (production) and Alakesh Saikia (28), junior engineering assistant (production), both from Jorhat district – however remain traceless after three days of their abduction from the rig site (ROM-100 III) of ONGC.
The site is located under Simaluguri police station of Sivasagar district.
An official statement on Friday informed that the abduction of the three ONGC employees was carried out by ULFA (I) under command of self-styled “Major” Ganesh Lahon alias Purna Lahon and his accomplices, Aidyaman Asom alias Moniram Borgohain and Pradip Gogoi alias Akon.
Five militants had come to the site and kidnapped the ONGC staff in an ambulance placed at the site.
“They were driven to No. 5 Bakupukhuri near Charaideo Tea Estate under Mathurapur police station from where the kidnapped persons along with two kidnappers moved towards the hillside of Nagaland (Mon district of Nagaland),” the statement said.
Subsequently, Assam Police informed the senior officers of Nagaland Police and all army /paramilitary bases located in the area.
“Assam Police has been making utmost efforts to recover the kidnapped persons without any harm to them,” it added.
“Meanwhile, police have arrested 14 linkmen and sympathisers of ULFA (I) who were helping the banned outfit directly or indirectly,” the statement said.
In view of the abduction, all superintendents of police of the Upper Assam districts have been instructed to review the security arrangements of OIL and ONGC infrastructure under their jurisdiction, especially those located in interior places.
Special DGP (law and order) G.P Singh had rushed to Sivasagar on Wednesday morning and is currently camping there and supervising the follow-up of rescue operations.