By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: A nationwide funding and extortion network linked to the banned ULFA-I has been uncovered by Assam Police, leading to the arrest of two individuals from Uttar Pradesh who are suspected of collecting money for the outfit.
Officials said the two men, hailing from Saharanpur and Kanpur, had been staying for nearly six months in a rented house in Unnao’s Budhwari area under false identities before being tracked down.
Based on intelligence inputs, Assam Police, in coordination with local teams, located and detained them. A case had already been registered against the duo at Tinsukia’s Sadar Kotwali police station under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for their alleged involvement in channeling funds to ULFA-I.
After completing legal procedures, the accused were handed over to Assam Police on transit remand. Investigators are now trying to identify individuals who provided them shelter in Unnao and determine their local connections.
This action is part of a larger crackdown targeting suspected funding and extortion modules linked to ULFA-I. In recent days, four other people were arrested in Tinsukia in similar cases, with separate investigations currently underway.
In another interstate operation, Assam Police detained a suspect from Maharashtra and brought him to Assam for questioning in connection with alleged links to the same network.
Meanwhile, security agencies have reported a rise in extortion-related incidents attributed to ULFA-I in Upper Assam.
A police operation in Sivasagar turned violent on May 25 after suspected individuals, allegedly trying to collect extortion money from a businessman, opened fire on security personnel, triggering retaliatory action.
Weapons and motorcycles were recovered from the site.
Earlier, on May 10, Dibrugarh Police dismantled another extortion module operating in the name of ULFA-I and arrested three individuals accused of demanding a large ransom from a doctor in Moran through a threat letter.
Authorities said the coordinated arrests across multiple states indicate a wider effort to break the group’s suspected financial and extortion network operating beyond Assam.