ULFA-I bomb threat: Two Charaideo men detained in Guwahati; SIT grills suspects

Guwahati, Sept 5: The Guwahati Crime Branch detained two suspects on Wednesday in connection with the bomb planting orchestrated by the banned United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) during Independence Day celebrations.

The suspects, identified as Rahul Mohan and Pranab Gogoi, were apprehended in Charaideo district and brought to Guwahati for further investigation.

The duo was first taken to Pan Bazar Police Station, where the Special Investigating Team (SIT), formed on August 16, interrogated them to establish their involvement in the placement of explosive devices in four locations across the city.

Later, during the night, the suspects were transferred to Latasil Police Station for further questioning, according to police sources.

Assam Director General of Police (DGP), GP Singh, had earlier announced that four cases related to the bomb threats in Guwahati and Lakhimpur would be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

However, only one of these cases has been taken up by the agency, while the remaining are pending procedural clearance, the source added.

On August 15, the ULFA-I claimed that bombs had been planted in more than 20 locations across Assam, including eight spots in Guwahati.

Police quickly recovered bomb-like objects from four locations in the city, including Gandhi Basti, Pan Bazar, Narengi, and Lastgate. Similar devices were found in Sivasagar, Lakhimpur, Nalbari, and Nagaon districts.

In response to the threat, the DGP constituted an SIT to investigate the matter and announced a reward of ₹5 lakh for any information leading to arrests.

On August 19, four individuals, including one believed to be involved in the bomb planting, were detained by police. Investigations are ongoing as authorities continue efforts to trace others linked to the security threat posed by the ULFA-I.