GUWAHATI: Guwahati police have apprehended two individuals suspected of being linked to the recent United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) bomb planting case from Azara, on Monday, September 16. The arrests bring the total number of those detained in connection with the planting of bombs in the city to five.
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The suspects have been identified as Ashim Adhikari and James Rongpi. An official from Panbazar Police Station told GPlus, "The matter has been forwarded to the court and further details will be updated."
The arrested individuals have claimed their innocence in front of the media, asserting that they are being wrongfully accused. "We have no links with ULFA, and we didn't plant any bombs. If you don't believe us, I urge the police to make the CCTV footage public," one suspect stated.
This development follows the arrest of Manab Kalita by the Jorhat police a week ago. Kalita, a resident of Kaki in Hojai, allegedly confessed to planting bombs at four locations in Guwahati on Independence Day. He is currently held at Latasil Police Station under the supervision of Joint Commissioner of Police Prateek Thube. The recent arrests are believed to be linked to leads provided by Kalita during his interrogation.
Earlier, on September 4, the Guwahati Crime Branch detained two additional suspects, Rahul Mohan and Pranab Gogoi, from Charaideo district. They were brought to Guwahati and interrogated by the Special Investigating Team (SIT) formed on August 16. The SIT is investigating their involvement in placing explosive devices at four locations in the city. The suspects were subsequently transferred to the Latasil Police Station for further questioning.
On August 20, following the bomb scare, the case was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). ULFA-I had claimed responsibility for planting bombs at over 20 locations across Assam, including eight in Guwahati. Components of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were recovered from four sites in the city—Gandhi Basti, Panbazar, Narengi, and Last Gate—as well as in Sivasagar, Lakhimpur, Nalbari, and Nagaon districts.
