Ulfa (I) rebel held in Dibrugarh

Dibrugarh: Continuing the crackdown on Ulfa (Independent), police nabbed a member of the proscribed outfit from the Moran area of Dibrugarh on Monday night.
Twelve demand notes signed by Ulfa deputy commander-in-chief Drishti Rajkhowa on the outfit's letterhead were found on him. A hand grenade was also recovered from the militant, identified as Rahul Hazarika alias Laden Asom (24), a resident of Khelmati village in Moran.
Dibrugarh SP Bir Bikram Gogoi on Tuesday said the cadre confessed that he arrived from Myanmar in December 2015 to carry out extortion activities in the district following Rajkhowa's orders. He had joined the banned outfit in 2013 and underwent arms training in Bangladesh in 2014.
Significantly, this is the third major breakthrough for police in their operation against Ulfa (I) in Dibrugarh district in the past week.
On June 16, Biplob Asom alias Mamon Gogoi, an Ulfa (I) rebel, was nabbed from Khowang with 700 g TNT. Police claimed he was on a mission to carry out two major strikes in Dibrugarh town, including one at the local BJP office on the orders of the Ulfa top brass.
On June 18, three hardcore Ulfa (I) militants and a Garo National Liberation Army rebel were apprehended during a joint operation by security forces from Chabua while on their way to Myanmar from Meghalaya. Three 9mm pistols, six pistol magazines, 40 round live bullets and two BFDX BF 860 Chinese wireless radio sets were recovered.
Intelligence sources said the proscribed outfit, whose influence has been on the decline, has been desperate to make its presence felt in Dibrugarh district, home of chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The fugitive Ulfa (I) commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah also belongs to the district.