Three ONGC employees abducted in Assam; ULFA-I role suspected

Two of the abducted employees are junior engineer assistants (production) the third one is a junior technician (production). They were allegedly abducted in an ONGC ambulance.

Updated on: Apr 22, 2021, 02:46:10 IST

By Utpal Parashar, Hindustan Times, Guwahati

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Three employees of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) were abducted by suspected insurgents from a rig site inside a tea estate in Assam’s Sivasagar district on Wednesday.

“Initial investigation suggests that nearly five armed people came and took away the ONGC employees from the site. The modus operandi makes us suspect that it is the handiwork of insurgents,” said Amitabh Sinha, police superintendent, Sivasagar.

Two of the abducted employees are junior engineer assistants (production) the third one is a junior technician (production). They were allegedly abducted in an ONGC ambulance, which was recovered later close to the Assam-Nagaland border.

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“Our efforts are underway to trace and rescue the abducted employees. We are taking help of various agencies as well as Nagaland police since it is likely that they were taken to the neighbouring state,” said Sinha.

Officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the banned United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) could be responsible for the abduction.

“3 ONGC employees, 2 junior engineer assistants (production) and a junior technician (production) have been abducted by unknown armed miscreants in the early hours of April 21. The abduction took place on a rig site of ONGC in Lakwa field of Sivasagar district,” ONGC tweeted.

“The abducted employees were taken by the miscreants in an operational vehicle belonging to ONGC. Later the vehicle was found abandoned near Nimonagarh jungles close to the Assam-Nagaland border. A complaint has been lodged by ONGC with the local police.”

In December last year, ULFA-I abducted two employees of a private company from a drilling location in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh. Both of them were released earlier this month after over 100 days in captivity.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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