Ulfa demands Rs 2 cr for release of businessman ’s son

Guwahati: In what has created tension in Upper Assam district, the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (Ulfa-I) has demanded a ransom of Rs 2 crore for releasing Arunav Phukon, son of Dilip Phukon a businessman and BJP leader from Jagun in Tinsukia district.

Informing that top Ulfa(I) leader Nayan Medhi called up the father on Monday to inform that his son was in their custody, security sources however admitted that Ulfa(I) has intensified the extortion drive and putting pressure on several tea gardens to pay the ransom.

Heavily armed Ulfa(I) rebels had abducted Arunav Phukon from bordering Jayrampur police station area of Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh on December 15.

This has come close on the heels of sensational murder of a father-son duo by Ulfa(I) militants on December 11 in Tinsukia district.

A group of heavily-armed Ulfa (I) militants had on December 11 night entered a house in Sonajan-Simaluguri village under Bordumsa police station and gunned down Anteswar Moran, president of the local Village Defence Party (VDP) and his son Karun Moran, who was till recently president of the local unit of All Assam Students’ Union (AASU). Anteswar was also stated to be a primary member of the BJP. Though, Assam police has been tight-lipped, security agencies are extremely worried over the functioning of the police.

Pointing out that six-member heavily armed Ulfa(I) rebels had also opened indiscriminate fire in the residential premises of MKB tea estate targeting the manager of the garden on December 8 at Konapather under Bordumsa police station of Tinsukia district, security sources said that same group of Ulfa (I) rebels are suspected to have killed the father-son duo on December 11.

Informing that these incidents have created panic among the tea gardens and business houses of the Upper Assam district, security sources said that Ulfa (I) has served extortion notices to majority of the gardens but most of them were avoiding to pay the money to the Ulfa (I) rebels. Security sources feared that such incidents may compel them to pay money to buy peace from outlawed organisations if police fail to take confidence building measures.