The Sivasagar Police have revealed a chilling plan by the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) to abduct officials from Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). This information came to light during a recent press conference addressing the meticulous efforts of the police in thwarting the operation.
Sivasagar Superintendent of Police Subhrajyoti Borah explained the details of the case, stating that the plot had been in the works since May 2024. He noted that ONGC official Tahirul Hussain was implicated in the plot.
“Last October 5 evening and on October 6 whole day, we got information from our secret sources that some suspected individuals in two cars were doing a recce in the highways in Sivasagar. We had beefed up security checking at our naka points. Following up the same, the next few days we did an analysis of the suspects who were roaming in the town and based on that we picked up one person yesterday he is Irshad Latif alias Mithu, and based on his confession, we came to know that ULFA-I was making a plan to abduct two to three ONGC senior officials from a rig at Bakota Nemuguri area on October 6 after the change in timing of the shift of the said ONGC rig at around 6 to 6.30 p.m.”
Borah further elaborated on the investigation, revealing how the police connected the dots: “After further investigation, we came to know about one SULFA namely Rahul Hazarika alias Laden’s involvement in the abduction who is from Moran; he was picked up in the wee hours today. We also came to know about one Tahirul Hussain who is an assistant engineer of ONGC who provided the information of all the senior officials working in the rig and made the plan of the timing inside the rig who comes out when and at what time. The entire plan of abduction was made on the latter half of the month of May, 2024. The final work of the planning was made on October 1 or 2, and accordingly, only October 5 evening, Laden reached Sivasagar from Moran and stayed the night at the residence of Mithu or Tahirul. The next October 6, at around 4 to 4.30 am, he came out with an Innova car and went to the Assam-Nagaland border in Charaideo district, picked up four cadres of ULFA-I, and made a recce in the highways near Sivasagar town. They were supposedly making an attempt for the abduction, but due to tight naka police checks and the rig which is nearby Bakota Nemuguri police station, their planning got foiled as the persons whom they were supposed to kidnap already left the rig.”
As a result of this operation, Irshad Latif and Rahul Hazarika have been arrested; however, Tahirul Hussain remains at large along with two more individuals. SP Borah confirmed that the police are actively searching for them and have alerted ONGC regarding Hussain’s involvement, advising them to take necessary disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, Rahul Hazarika, after being apprehended in Moran during the early hours of this morning, was allegedly taken to the Bakota Nemuguri rig, the site where the abduction was planned. However, due to a mechanical failure of the police vehicle, Hazarika attempted to escape custody, prompting the police to fire at his leg. Following this encounter, he sustained a leg injury and has been referred to Assam Medical College Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh.
In a twist, Rahul denied the allegations, stating, “The police picked me up at around 2.30 am and then took me towards a jungle in Sonari and asked me to step down from the police vehicle and run. But, when I didn’t run they shot on my left leg and brought me to a nursing home and then to AMCH. They have not allowed me to talk to my parents.”
As the investigation unfolds, the police have registered a case (11/2024) at Nemuguri police station regarding the entire incident, and efforts to apprehend Tahirul Hussain continue.