GUWAHATI: The police have intensified the crackdown on United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) due to bomb threats looming large in Assam.
This has compelled the cops to adopt a proactive approach to mitigate this risk. Amidst a hectic week for Assam police, a cadre of the banned militant outfit along with a linkman were arrested from the Jalukbari area of Guwahati.
The apprehended member has been identified as Pawan Darji, who was caught during an operation carried out by Basistha police based on intelligence inputs.
The search operation came in response to a bomb threat at City Centre Mall on G S Road, which led to the temporary closure of the mall and evacuation of the premises.
During interrogation, Darji disclosed about the involvement of a linkman associated with the insurgent group. Jalukbari police led by IC Pritam Das nabbed the linkman based on this information. Investigations are going on to uncover further connections.
This development comes in the wake of a bomb scare in Guwahati's City Center Mall yesterday.
The mall management cited a technical issue as the reason behind the abrupt shutdown. A sign posted at the mall entrance read: "FOR TECHNICAL ISSUE MALL WILL BE SHUT DOWN FOR 2 HOURS."
Security personnel were deployed at the site to bring the situation under control while the area had been cordoned off with traffic cones.
The authorities had announced a two-hour closure period so as to restore normalcy at the earliest.
Several people had speculated the presence of a bomb inside the premises of the mall. Preventive measures were immediately taken as all the people present inside the mall during that time were immediately evacuated with the assistance of the deployed security staff. Announcements were also made over PR systems regarding the same.
Teams from fire and emergency services, bomb squad, as well as sniffer dogs were called in along with police personnel to assist in the search operation.
However, no suspicious items were found after security forces conducted a thorough search inside the mall, as a result of which, it was reopened later.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Mrinal Deka reassured the public, stating, "An email was received mentioning that a bomb had been planted in City Centre. SSB, CRPF, and Assam Police personnel jointly searched the entire structure. However, nothing suspicious turned up."
The top cop also dismissed the threat email as baseless and a hoax.
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