Dibrugarh: Sivasagar police on Saturday launched intensified patrolling operations along the Assam-Nagaland border amid mounting concerns over Ulfa-I activities across upper Assam. The police deployed teams across hill terrain, tea gardens, and dense jungle areas to maintain peace, security, and law and order at the sensitive inter-state boundary.
The stepped-up vigil comes against the backdrop of a series of security incidents that have kept the district on edge throughout May. From the arrest of a Myanmar-trained operative carrying grenades and a Beretta pistol to a dramatic gun battle during an Ulfa-I extortion bid near Nazira, Sivasagar has seen a sharp spike in insurgency-linked activity, prompting authorities to intensify vigilance along the border corridor.
Police teams on Saturday covered stretches of the Assam-Nagaland border, known to be vulnerable to militant movement and infiltration. The terrain — a mix of forested hills, remote tea garden fringes, and jungle tracks — has long served as a conduit for the movement of operatives, arms, and cash between the two states.
“We are maintaining constant vigil along the border areas. Patrolling has been intensified in light of recent developments, and our teams are covering all sensitive stretches, including hilly terrain, tea gardens, and jungle areas. Our priority is to ensure that no anti-national elements can establish a foothold in this district,” said Sivasagar Superintendent of Police Papori Chetia.
The current security climate in the district traces back to May 6, when SSP Chetia led a midnight raid in the Palengi area, resulting in the arrest of self-styled Sergeant Major Biren Chetia, a Myanmar-trained Ulfa-I militant found sheltering in Dhyanpathar village under Demow police station. The operation yielded a sizeable cache: an Italy-made Beretta pistol, seven hand grenades, one bottle grenade, and live ammunition. Investigators said the militant crossed into Assam from the Nagaland side after traveling from Myanmar and was on his way to hand over the grenades to an unidentified contact for subversive purposes.
Less than three weeks later, on May 25, a plainclothes police team led by Additional Superintendent of Police (crime) Moidul Islam and Additional Superintendent of Police (headquarters) Rishabh Hans laid a trap in the Bogidol area of Nazira after receiving specific intelligence about an extortion attempt targeting businessman Lachit Gogoi. When the gang arrived on motorcycles to collect the money, they opened fire on the officers. Police retaliated, injuring two suspects — Ritu Gogoi, who sustained three bullet wounds, and Jitumoni Gogoi, who received one.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the gang of eight demanded Rs 20 lakh from Gogoi in the name of Ulfa-I, later negotiated down to Rs 8 lakh, and planned not just to collect the money but to abduct him as well. Inspector General of Police Satya Raj Hazarika, who addressed a press conference on the matter, pointed to a wider pattern, noting that intelligence inputs suggest Ulfa-I camps in Myanmar are facing a severe financial crunch — driving operatives and local linkmen to target businessmen across upper Assam. The IGP said threat calls in the case were routed from Nagaland and the operational pattern closely mirrored past Ulfa-I-linked extortion cases.
