Gun-running activities of ULFA (I) still continue in Bangladesh. This has come to light after the arrest of dreaded ULFA (I) cadre Dawoljyoti Dutta from Na Borachuk at Jorhat in Assam on Monday.
ULFA (I) Deputy C-in-C Dristi Rajkhowa alias Manoj Rabha is now controlling gun-running racket through the transit route from South China to Chittagong in Bangladesh.
Dutta had joined ULFA (I) on May 8 last year and was trained in arms and explosives, in places like Assam, Meghalaya and Bangladesh.
According to police Dutta was Personal Security Officer (PSO) of ULFA (I) leader Drishti Rajkhowa.
Police sources told Northeast Now that Dutta had disclosed that Rajkhowa frequently shuttles between Garo hills in Meghalaya and Bangladesh. That he is active in Garo Hills is proved when GNLA requested him to take over the charge of the outfit after its C-in-C Sohan D Shira was killed in an encounter with Meghalaya Police. Shira was killed at Samanda in East Garo Hills on February 24 by Meghalaya Police.
His popularity within the Garo outfit and his being a Rabha added to his advantage.
It may be mentioned that during the BNP regime in Bangladesh a huge cache of arms was recovered on April 2, 2004, at the jetty of the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd (CUFL) near the Karnaphuli river. Altogether 1,463 consignments from 10 trucks were meant for delivery to ULFA. These included 4,930 sophisticated firearms of different types, 840 rocket launchers, 300 rockets, 27,020 grenades, 2,000 grenade-launching tubes, 6,392 magazines and 11.41 million bullets.
On June 25, 2003, a large consignment of ammunition and explosives meant for Tripura insurgents seized at Bogura.
In 2014, a special court in Chittagong handed the death sentence to ULFA (I) C-in-C Paresh Baruah in absentia and 13 others, including Jamaat Chief and then Industries Minister Motiur Rahman Nizami and then State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar, for arms smuggling in 2004.
The Indian Intelligence had earlier claimed to have confiscated a consignment of NSCN (IM) en route through Chittagong port in 2010 when Hasina government started dealing the NE militants with iron hand. In 2009 the Hasina government handed over to Indian government many top militant leaders of Northeast including ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa.
However, this revelation by arrested ULFA militant might send the Indian intelligence in tizzy.
