Police, Army in tizzy over high-profile Asom kidnapping

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Guwahati, Apr 20 (UNI) Police and Army have jointly launched a massive hunt to trace FCI Executive Director Phul Chand Ram, abducted by suspected militants on April 17, even as unconfirmed reports said the banned ULFA had demanded Rs 21 crore for his release.

GOC of the Tezpur-based 4 Corps Lt Gen RK Chhabra today said the Army had been assisting the state police in a search operation in the Baksa district of lower Asom.

The Red Horns Division of the Army, based at Rangiya, had been instructed to assist police in the operation, the GOC said.

Pointing the accusing finger towards the ULFA, the senior Army official said it was yet to be ascertained whether ''any outfit'' had demanded a ransom for the release of the FCI official.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had also indicated that the ULFA was behind the abduction.

Ram, FCI in-charge of the North East, Bihar and Jharkhand, had been missing since April 17.

His driver Raviram Basumatary was also untraced, while his official car was recovered in Rangiya town of lower Asom yesterday.

Meanwhile, City SSP S N Singh said raids were also being carried out in some areas of Kamrup and Nalbari districts, besides Baksa.

''We have no information regarding the report that the ULFA has demanded Rs 21 crore for Ram's release,'' Mr Singh said adding police were yet to confirm whether the ULFA was behind the kidnapping.

Ram's son Praveen had told UNI from New Delhi that no militant outfit had called him up demanding any ransom.

No government official in the rank of Ram had been kidnapped in Asom in recent times. In the early 1990s, the ULFA had abducted Tax Commissioner Hemran Keot and IAS officer S K Tiwari, but later released them unharmed.

A vigilance team of the FCI was also investigating the case.

Ram stays mostly alone in a rented flat at Lohit Apartment in Christian Basti here.

Ram's family stays at Ghaziabad where his son is studying.

UNI

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