HT Correspondent
DIBRUGARH, April 20: In yet another incident of extortion, a trader of green tea leaves was demanded money by suspected ULFA-I rebels in the upper Assam Tinsukia district.
The incident took place on Tuesday night and was captured on CCTV cameras. As per reports, three men in full camouflage came to the residence of businessman Umesh Shah in Kakojan area under Philobari police station at around 6:30 pm riding a motorcycle.
Two men got down from the motorcycle and entered the house of the businessman following which the family members of the businessman raised an alarm. After spending some time inside the men left on the motorcycle. It is learnt that the businessman was not home as he had left for Chennai for a medical check-up a few days before.
The businessman’s son revealed that his father was abducted from his house by a group of men on October 8, 2021 by identifying themselves as members of the ULFA-I. They took him to a jungle and demanded an amount of Rs 7 lakh from him on behalf of the outfit. When he expressed his inability to pay the sum they lowered the amount to Rs 4 lakh and asked him to keep the amount ready at his home. On that condition he was allowed to leave by the abductors. On Tuesday they had come to collect the extortion amount.
“Cases of extortion in the name of the insurgents group have started in Tinsukia. Many people were arrested in Tinsukia for being a ULFA-I linkman,” said a source.
