Three ULFA-I ‘linkmen’ arrested for ambush on Assam Rifles convoy

GUWAHATI: Three alleged “over-ground workers” affiliated with the banned militant outfit ULFA-I have been apprehended in connection with the recent ambush of an Assam Rifles convoy in Tinsukia district of Assam.

Additionally, authorities in Assam have launched a search operation to locate the body of an ULFA-I cadre, who is believed to have been killed during the ambush and subsequently buried in the vicinity.

The ambush of the Assam Rifles convoy occurred on April 16, when a convoy of 31 Assam Rifles personnel traveling from Changlang in Arunachal Pradesh to Margherita in Tinsukia district of Assam, came under fire from suspected militants in the Makumpani forest area.

One Assam Rifles personnel sustained injuries in the attack, prompting security forces to retaliate, resulting in suspected injuries to the militants.

ULFA-I later claimed responsibility for the assault, citing it as part of its “Operation Pratishodh” to avenge the deaths of two of its members.

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According to Assam police, the three individuals apprehended, all hailing from Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh, were detained in a collaborative effort involving local police in Tinsukia district and Assam Rifles.

Among them, one allegedly provided logistical support, provisions, and served as a guide for the ULFA operatives during the ambush, while the other two facilitated the militants' escape and offered local assistance.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway to recover the body of the deceased ULFA cadre, reportedly killed in the Assam Rifles’ retaliatory fire, and return it to the family.

Additionally, it was disclosed that three ULFA members sustained injuries during the exchange of fire and have since been evacuated to ULFA camps in Myanmar.

The arrested individuals have purportedly identified the ULFA insurgents involved in the attack, prompting a joint search operation with Assam Rifles, the Army, and Arunachal Pradesh police to track down and apprehend them.