Insurgents abduct 3 ONGC employees in Assam’s Sivasnagar
THE BANNED ULFA-I OUTFIT IS BELIEVED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ABDUCTION
GUWAHATI: Three employees of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) were abducted by suspected insurgents from a rig site at the premises of a tea estate in Assam’s Sivasagar district on Wednesday.
“Initial investigation suggests that nearly five armed people came and abducted 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.
Officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the banned United Liberation Front of Asom-independent (ULFA-I) could be responsible for the abduction.
The abducted employees were identified as junior engineer assistants (production) Retul Saikia and Mohini Mohan Gogoi, and junior technician (production) Alakesh Saikia -- all from Assam.
According to police, armed insurgents entered the tea estate in a van used as an ambulance by ONGC and abducted the employees on gunpoint. They van was later recovered close to the Assam-nagaland border, around 11km away.
“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.
The state-run firm said it was in touch with authorities over the incident. “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 on Wednesday.
“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 Assamnagaland border. A complaint has been lodged by ONGC with the local police,” it added. Police said the complaint has been lodged under several sections of IPC, including Section 362 (abduction by force).
On Wednesday, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal said he has directed the police to take all possible measures to rescue the three employees. “I have asked CS Shri Jishnu Barua and @Dgpassampolice Shri Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta to take all possible measures for their release,” he wrote on Twitter. The CM said special director general of police (law and order) Gyanendra Pratap Singh has also rushed to the spot and is monitoring the investigation.
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. Information about why or how they were released is not known yet.