New Delhi/Guwahati: The CBI on Thursday placed founder member of banned ULFA militant group Anup Chetia under arrest in connection with a nearly three-decade-old murder case registered by the central probe agency.
In a brief statement, the CBI said that Chetia, whose real name is Golap Baruah, was placed under arrest in connection with the murder case which was handed over to the CBI by the Assam government in 1988. “He was produced before the competent court here which sent him to six days of transit remand to the CBI,” the agency said. He will be brought to Guwahati.
The CBI is probing the murder case of ex-councillor of Golaghat Deboksi Dhar Chaudhury. He was killed by ULFA rebels on August 29, 1986 and Chetia is alleged to be involved in its criminal conspiracy.
Earlier, in what may accelerate the ongoing peace-process with outlawed Ulfa, Bangladesh on Wednesday handed over Chetia to teh CBI team.
Informing that top Ulfa leader was handed over to CBI on request of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, security sources said that New Delhi was pursuing the issue pro-actively with its counterpart in Dhaka.
The home minister said members of the Border Guard Bangladesh also handed over Anup’s two prison mates – Babul Sharma and Shakti Prashad who were arrested along with him – to the Border Security Force.
The confirmation of Mr Chetia’s release came when Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said in Dhaka that the government has “released” top Ulfa leader on completion of his detention in Bangladesh.
Sources said that a team of CBI officials landed in Dhaka on Sunday and held parleys with the security officials in Dhaka. The Indian High Commission was also closely involved in the negotiation process.
The reports from Dhaka claimed that Mr Chetia, who was in Mohammadpur area of Dhaka before his arrest on December 21, 1997, was handed over to a team of CBI officials.
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.
