Business rivalry angle ignored: Family slams police over missing Assam tycoon Putul Sarmah

Digboi: As the mystery surrounding the disappearance of leading Assam business tycoon Putul Sarmah deepens, his family members have demanded that the police thoroughly investigate the business rivalry angle behind his sudden vanishing.

Sarmah, a Class-I contractor closely associated with the Digboi and Guwahati refineries, has remained missing since August 12.

So far, the police have focused their investigation on relatives and close family circles.

However, his family alleges that this approach is inadequate and overlooks potential motives linked to the cut-throat competition in the oil and refinery sector.

“My brother went missing just days after he successfully placed two mobile lab vans in August, one each for the Guwahati and Digboi refineries, worth several crores,” Sarmah’s sister told reporters.

“We believe the business rivalry aimed to damage the reputation of his company. The police must look beyond family members because rivalry in high-value contracts cannot be ruled out.”

Family sources revealed that Sarmah had also qualified for four other tenders, two in each refinery, shortly before his disappearance.

“The irony is that while my father was scaling new heights in business, he suddenly vanished,” said his son. “The police are only investigating the call data records of relatives. Why aren’t they probing the business angle involving the AOD Digboi Refinery? We strongly suspect that competitors have plotted against him.”

The family further pointed out that Sarmah’s firm recently supplied the only two high-value mobile lab vans in the region, a development they believe may have “raised eyebrows among rival bidders.”

Despite intensified search operations, the police have failed to achieve any significant breakthrough even after nearly two months.

What has further shocked the family is that neither the police nor the AOD Digboi Refinery authorities have taken the initiative to coordinate with each other for better clarity on the case.

When contacted, Investigating Officer Pinky Borah admitted, “We have yet to receive any kind of formal or informal input from the AOD Refinery authority in Digboi.”

With suspicions of business rivalry and foul play growing stronger, the family has urged the authorities to widen the investigation to include possible corporate and contractual disputes.

They stress that only a thorough probe into the business angle can uncover the truth.