Two of the three employees of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), abducted by cadres of the United Liberation Front of Assam 0r ULFA (I) from Assam, were rescued by the security forces after a gunfight in Nagaland’s Mon district.
By Imna Longchar
A highly placed source from the Mon district administration, Nagaland, when contacted by this correspondent informed that the two persons held hostage by ULFA (I) were rescued. There were also an “exchange of fire” between ULFA (I) backed by NSCN-K (YA) and the security forces in the international borders.
The source also disclosed that during the exchange of fire, the “insurgent” cadres fled the spot leaving the two of the three hostages after which the police rescued them.
The names of rescued abductees are Alakesh Saikia and Mohini Mohan Gogoi. The fate of the third hostage is still not known. One AK 47 has also been recovered from the spot, according to army sources.
Junior engineering assistant Saikia and junior technician Gogoi were abducted along with Ritul Saikia, also a junior technician, from an ONGC work over rig site in the Lakwa field of Assam’s Sivasagar district.
It was also learnt that police have arrested 14 linkmen and sympathizers of ULFA (I) who were helping the “banned outfit” directly or indirectly.
It may be pertinent to mention that on April 21. Five militant cadres came to the site and kidnapped the ONGC staff in an Ambulance kept in the site. They were driven to No 5 Dakupukhuri near Charaideo TE under Mathurapur PS from where the kidnapped persons along with two (2) kidnappers moved towards the hillside of Mon district in Nagaland.
It may be mentioned that NSCN (YA) is the only Naga armed group outside the purview of peace talks. Most of its members are Nagas from Myanmar. The ULFA operates out of Myanmar and is a component of an umbrella organisation of armed groups from Northeast India.