ULFA-I releases abducted Quippo officials near Arunachal Pradesh-Myanmar border

GUWAHATI: After a long wait, the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA-I) has released the two abducted employees of Quippo Oil and Gas Infrastructure limited.

Drilling superintendent Pranab Kumar Gogoi and radio operator Ram Kumar both employees of the Delhi based Oil exploration company- Quippo Oil and Gas Infrastructure Limited were abducted by the banned outfit on December 21 at gunpoint from the Kumchaikha drilling site in Innao area of Arunachal Pradesh's Changlang district.

Pranab Gogoi hails from Sivasagar district of Assam while Ram Kumar is a resident of Bihar.

According to reports, the two employees have been released by the militant group in Changlang District in Arunachal Pradesh and are being handed over to Assam Police by Arunachal Pradesh Police. They are likely to reach Assam very soon.

The development comes after several rounds of negotiations between the ULFA and the oil company over the extortion demanded for the release of the employees.

Earlier, in a statement the ULFA(I) has warned that the Chief Ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh would be responsible for any untoward fate of the two officials of private sector oil company it had abducted as the government has planned delaying tactics instead of trying to get the two abducted men released.

The ULFA-I, which is currently headed by its ''commander-in-chief'' Paresh Barua, had, in a media statement, said that if the drilling company ''fails to take positive steps to secure the release of their employees by February 16, the outfit would take action against hostage Ram Kumar on February 17''.

Later in February 21, the ULFA-I chief Paresh Baruah informed that they have halted their plans of taking strong action on the two abducted employees after talks between the ULFA-I and the Assam government.

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