by Bhupen Goswami

Guwahati : Gunmen in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, Naga NSCN-(IM) terrorist has kidnapped two officers working in an oil company. This information was given by a senior police official here tuesday. Inspector General of Police (law and order) Chukhu Apa said that a drilling superintendent and a radio operator working in Kipo oil and gas infrastructure from a drilling site at Kumchakha near Innao were kidnapped on Monday evening.

He said about 14 miscreants kidnapped the employees from manbhum protected forest area. “There are suspects that the NSCN (IM) or ULFA organisation would have been abducted for ransom purposes,” police sources said. The police told the reporter about the incident that the sensation has spread after the abduction of two employees of M/s Quipo Oil and Gas Infrastructure Limited under the police station of Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The abducted employees of the oil and gas company have been identified as drilling Superintendent PK Gogoi (51), a resident of Sivasagar District and radio operator Ram Kumar (35), who is residing in Bihar.

He is said to have been kidnapped from the drilling site at Khurchikha. Oil India Limited has deployed Inna’s Quippo Oil and Gas Infrastructure Limited to operate in the Khumchikha area of Innao village. In 2019, an Oil India Limited employee was kidnapped by miscreants in the guise of militants near the Manboom oil plant. Arunachal Pradesh just three days before assembly elections. A local leader, Roesh Gogoi, said that a group of about 10-15 miscreants armed with lethal weapons picked up two employees of the company and moved towards the city of Diyun. He said the unidentified group wanted to know about the whereabouts of Keshab Gogoi. The source said the miscreants are suspected of being members of some militant outfit as they were asked about a hefty sum from PK Gogoi, who was sought by a terrorist group. A police source from Diun said that several hoax youths from the area belonging to various anti-social groups were earlier arrested on charges of involvement in extortion and kidnapping cases.

“There are suspects that the NSCN (IM) or ULFA organisation would have been abducted for ransom purposes,” police sources said. He said no call has been made for the ransom so far. He said, the Arunachal Pradesh police has also informed the Assam police about the incident and a large scale search operation is being carried out in collaboration with army and para military forces.