Guwahati: Ten days after his abduction, Arunabh Phukan, the son of BJP leader Dilip Phukan, was released by the anti-talk faction of Ulfa on Monday. The faction said it had suspected him to be a spy working for the security forces.
A group of armed cadres had abducted Arunabh Phukan from Jairampur along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border on December 15 last. Some reports said that the Ulfa faction had demanded Rs 2 crore for his release.
On Monday, the faction released Arunabh Phukan in Jairampur where he was received by his family members. After the release, Arunabh said he was kept well and had not been tortured.
“I am thankful to the Ulfa faction for the release of my son. There was no ransom demand and they have released him without any ransom or any precondition,” said Dilip Phukan, also a businessman in Assam.
The Ulfa faction’s commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah on Monday told some television channels in Assam that they had taken Arunabh for questioning as they suspected that he was working as a spy for the security forces.
“After questioning, we found that he is innocent and we released him. He is ‘my dear’ boy and there is no question of taking any ransom for his release,” Baruah said.
The Assam Police had intensified operations along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border since the past few days along with the Arunachal Pradesh Police. It was suspected that the abductors had taken Arunabh Phukan to Myanmar after crossing the international border.
IANS