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Guwahati: The kidnapping of two employees of the New Delhi-headquartered Quippo Oil and Gas Infrastructure Limited by insurgents has come as a reminder of troubled times in Assam, when the ‘kidnapping-for-ransom’ strategy spread terror in the state.
This time though, the crime is being seen as one of desperation.
The two men drilling superintendent Pranab Kumar Gogoi, 51, and radio operator Ram Kumar, 35 were abducted by the United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent (ULFA-I) on 21 December from Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district, which borders Myanmar.
Last Sunday, the banned outfit’s commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah called up journalists in Assam to say that it has “deferred action” against the two officials and that the “deadline set for their release has been extended”. This came after it had threatened to take the “ultimate action” against the hostages earlier in the week.