Top Ulfa-I Commander Held Near Assam-Arunachal Border, Firearms Recovered

Guwahati: The Assam Police in a joint operation with the Assam Rifles and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), on Saturday arrested a top commander of outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) Rupam Asom from the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. He was hiding along with his team inside a jungle camp of the outfit.

The superintendent of police (SP), Tinsukia, Gaurav Abhijit Dilip, said that the self-styled brigadier of Ulfa-I, identified as Rupam Asom, was arrested from the Lekhapani area of Tinsukia early on Saturday.

Informing that top Ulfa-I leader was involved in various extortions, arms smuggling and other activities in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh Mr Gaurav told reporters that he was directly involved in the killing of a police officer. He said, “We had been tracking him for several months.”

He said, based on specific inputs provided by Kolkata-based Military Intelligence, an operation was launched on Friday and the Ulfa-I commander was arrested from an area at around 4 am on Saturday.

Police said that they have recovered one pistol, hand grenades and some other devices from him.

Indicating that his arrest may lead to more arrests, security sources said that Rupam Asom had been visiting the areas near the Assam-Arunachal border frequently, and he was planning to launch some offensives. “Rupom and his team were hiding in a jungle near the border and during the operation, we managed to catch him. We are searching for the others too,” security sources said.

Police said that Rupam Asom was the main suspect behind the 2018 killing of Assam police officer Bhaskar Kalita in an encounter. The National Investigation Agency had chargesheeted him and other Ulfa-I members, including Arunodoi Dahotia, for Mr Kalita's killing.

Security sources said that Ulfa-I leader was also running an extortion racket in Tinsukia and eastern Assam districts.