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Assam: NIA arrests ULFA-I cadre in IED planting case on Independence Day

Dec 17, 2024 09:40 AM IST

Independence Day celebrations in Assam this year were marred by security concerns after ULFA-I sent emails to a few media houses in the state claiming to have planted bombs at 24 places.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), along with the Assam Police, have arrested a key operative of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) for allegedly planting four improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Guwahati during this year’s Independence Day celebrations.

NIA headquarters at CGO Complex in New Delhi. (HT File Photo)
NIA headquarters at CGO Complex in New Delhi. (HT File Photo)

The state police had recovered 11 IEDs from several locations across the state on August 15 after ULFA-I issued a statement mentioning the places where these explosives were planted. Four of the IEDs were placed at Pan Bazar, Dispur, Gandhi Mandap and Satgaon areas of Guwahati.

According to an NIA statement released on Tuesday, the federal probe agency carried out searches, with help of Assam Police, at the house of Jahnu Baruah alias Arnab Asom in Dibrugarh on Monday based on specific intel.

“Several incriminating materials, including digital devices, were seized during a search of his house and are currently under investigation. He was summoned to the local police establishment for further examination,” the NIA said.

Baruah is stated to have confessed to his involvement in planting four IEDs in Guwahati.

According to the NIA, Baruah was under surveillance for several weeks as he was one of the key suspects in the IED planting case based on technical and human intelligence. He is accused of collecting, transporting and planting the devices.

NIA took over the case on September 17 and found that the IEDs were planted at the behest of senior ULFA-I cadre Abhijit Gogoi alias Aishang Asom. Further probe into the case is underway.

Independence Day celebrations in Assam this year were marred by security concerns after ULFA-I sent emails to a few media houses in the state claiming to have planted bombs at 24 places. The mail contained details of places where 19 explosive devices were planted while the exact locations of five others were not mentioned.

Security personnel and the police who were engaged in parades and other events were soon deployed to search for the explosives.

Though the ULFA-I email mentioned that the devices wouldn’t explode due to some “technical fault” and sought public help to trace them, police didn’t take any chances and bomb squads were pressed into service to locate and deactivate the devices.

Following search operations over two days, 11 IED-like objects were found at various places, including 4 in Guwahati. Fortunately, none of the devices went off and no one was injured.

Assam Police set up several special investigation teams (SITs) to probe the cases and announced a reward of 5 lakh to anyone providing “credible information on persons involved in making, transporting, planting of these devices”.

It was decided that two cases involving the recovery of bomb-like devices in Guwahati and Lakhimpur would be handed over to the NIA.

On September 21, the Assam Police and NIA arrested 15 persons, including 3 women, from several locations in the state for their alleged involvement in planting the IEDs.

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