Police arrest ONGC engineer
Assam police have arrested an ONGC assistant engineer for allegedly conspiring with the militant group ULFA-Independent to abduct ONGC engineers.
On October 28 (2024), the engineer from Nazira surrendered to the police. Superintendent of police Subhrajyoti Bora has been investigating the case and has increased security even as a tea garden employee was abducted.
On October 6 (2024), the ONGC officer allegedly conspired with a ULFA-I militant and gave him access to an EV-2000 ONGC-owned rig near Bokota Nemuguri village to abduct officers. This included giving logistics and details that only an ONGC employee could have provided," we hear.
"The assistant engineer has been here at the Assam asset for the last ten years and was promoted from staff to officer - at the E-0 level in the hierarchy," says a source. ONGC has begun the process of suspending the engineer.
Assam police prevented the abduction attempt and arrested three other people in connection with the case. ULFA militants last kidnapped two Quippo Oil & Gas workers in Arunachal Pradesh in December 2020 and only released them after receiving a ransom.
Police said that ULFA-I or other militants are known to carry out abductions, hand out extortion and ransom notes and collect the ransom to buy properties. They often purchase "benami" properties, which are houses or land registered under the names of friends or relatives, to park illicit money, making it difficult for police to trace them, says a police source.
"Right now, the assistant engineer is in jail and will be produced in court on October 30 or October 31 (2024)," says a senior police officer. "We don’t know if anyone else from ONGC is involved."