The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday (December 16, 2024) arrested an alleged operative of banned terrorist outfit, ULFA (I), for planting an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Guwahati during this year’s Independence Day celebrations. .
“NIA teams, with the active assistance of Assam Police, searched the house of Jahnu Barua alias Arnab Aksom in Dibrugarh this morning… He was called to the local police establishment for further investigation,” the agency said.
During the preliminary investigation, the accused admitted that four of the 11 bombs seized by the state police were involved in the explosion. The bombs were planted as part of the Independence Day boycott call and protest given by ULFA (I) chief Paresh Barua. Through a video clip, he warned of dire consequences for disobeying the directive.
Based on the search, the agency has arrested Jahanu, who has been under surveillance for the past few weeks. “He was one of several suspects identified by the NIA, based on technical and human intelligence, involved in the collection and transportation of IEDs intended to detonate large-scale explosives in Assam on the occasion of I-Day,” the agency said.
The NIA took over the investigation of the case from the state police on September 17 and found that the IEDs were planted on the orders of Aishang Assam alias Abhijit Gogoi and other top leaders of ULFA (I).
published – December 16, 2024 at 10:52 am IST