Assam Police has confirmed that the three ONGC employees have been kidnapped by a group of 5 ULFA(I) militants under the command of SS Maj Ganesh Lahon alias Purna Lahon.

Suspected ULFA(I) militants had kidnapped three ONGC employees at around 1 am on April 21, 2021 from a work over rig site (ROM-100 III) of ONGC located within Lakwa TE Cholapather grant under Simaluguri police station of Sivasagar district.

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The kidnapped ONGC employees are 35-year-old Mohini Mohan Gogoi, junior technician (production), son of Hemanta Gogoi of No.1 Padumoni Haruali Gaon under Khowang PS in Dibrugarh; 33-year-old Ritul Saikia, junior technician (production), son of Puna Saikia of Borhula Nangal Gaon under Borhula PS in Jorhat district; 28-year-old Alakesh Saikia, junior engineering assistant (production), son of Lt. Robin Saikia under Hobaibondha PS in Jorhat district, police said.

Assam Police in a statement issued on Friday said: “Five militants came to the site and kidnapped the ONGC staff in an ambulance kept in the site.”

Also read: Assam: Sivasagar Police detains 14 people in ONGC employees’ kidnapping case

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“They were driven to No. 5 Bakupukhuri near Charaideo T.E. under Mathurapur PS from where the kidnapped persons along with 2 kidnappers moved towards the hillside of Nagaland (Mon district of Nagaland),” the statement said.

Claiming ULFA(I) behind the kidnapping of the three ONGC employees, the statement said:  “Assam Police has received specific information that the kidnapping is done by the ULFA (I) under command of SS Maj Ganesh Lahon alias Purna Lahon and his accomplices namely, Aidyaman Asom alias Moniram Borgohain and Pradip Gogoi alias Akon.”

Also read: Assam: Armed miscreants kidnap 3 ONGC employees in Sivasagar, police suspect ULFA(I) hand

Assam Police said they have been making “utmost effort” to recover the kidnapped persons without any harm to them.

Stating that police were informed about the incident at 5.30 am, Assam Police said: “Immediately after receiving the information, Sivasagar Police led by SP, Sivasagar rushed to the place of occurrence and carried out a massive manhunt to nab the culprits and rescue the kidnapped persons.”

It is suspected that the kidnapped persons have been taken towards Nagaland.

The matter was also immediately informed to the senior officers of Nagaland Police and all Army/para-military bases located in the area, the statement said.

GP Singh, Special DGP (Law & Order), Assam, rushed to Sivasagar in the morning on April 21 and is camping there till now for supervising the follow-up of the rescue operations, it said.

Meanwhile, police have arrested 14 linkmen and sympathizers of ULFA(I), who “were helping the banned outfit directly or indirectly”, the statement said.

All superintendents of police of upper Assam districts have been instructed to review the security arrangements of OIL and ONGC infrastructures under their jurisdiction, especially those located in interior places.