ULFA militant held for threatening MP; extortion

New Delhi, Jul 21 (UNI) A United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) militant has been arrested from the National Capital for allegdly extorting money from a Congress MP.

A Special Cell team arrested Ranjan Bikash Borgohain alias Bikash alias Ramen Barua of Dibrugarh, Assam for allegedly extorting money from Congress MP Anwar Hussain.

Several letters addressed to other politicians of various parties on the letterheads of ULFA with the signatures of Hira Sarania, a self styled Commander of 709 Battalion, ULFA and Raju Boruah, self styled Deputy Commandant in Chief of ULFA were recovered from the possession of the accused.

In a recent letter, it was claimed that the group was holding unofficial talks with the Centre and the outfit required money for visits to Kolkata and other places to attend the meetings. In this letter Hira Sarania had also assured that he would not take any protection money from the MP for the forthcoming Lok Sabha Elections. Hira has also informed the MP that he would be going on deputation to the Central Committee of ULFA for some time from the 709 Battalion and Bhaskar Das would be the temporary Commander of the Battalion.

On July 19, the Connaught Place police station was informed that Ramen Baruah, a militant of banned outfit ULFA has come at the residence of Anwar Hussain, at 16-A, Firoz Shah Road, Delhi and demanded Rs 25 lakh as extortion money. A team of Special Cell and Connaught Place police reached the MP's house and detained Ramen Baruah.

Hussain claimed that the accused had come to his residence with a letter of Hira Sarania, self styled Commander, 709 Bn, ULFA and demanded Rs 25 lakh. He claimed that the accused also visited his residence in March and April this year and delivered threatening letters and took Rs 25,000 as extortion money. On the basis of contents of complaint a case under the appropriate sections of law was registered at Police Station Special Cell, Lodhi Colony.

During interrogation, Barua disclosed that ULFA militants Pradeep Bhatta and Romen Duara motivated him to join the outfit in 1985.

Initially he was tasked to motivate youth to join ULFA and he successfully recruited over 50 militants. He was then assigned the task of extorting money from various people for ULFA. In later part of 2006, he came close to Hira Sarania, self styled Commander of 709 Bn ULFA. Hira Sarania appointed his emissary and tasked him to extart money from politicians. He was also assigned a rank in the political wing of ULFA and was also entrusted for logistic support for the militants of ULFA. He transported militants from one location to another.

In March 2008, on the directions of Hira Sarania, he arrived in capital and met Hussain, an MP from Dhubri (Assam) and handed over him the threatening letter.

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