2 more held in Ulfa‑I funding case; crackdown widens across states

Dibrugarh: Assam Police have arrested two more men from Uttar Pradesh for allegedly raising funds for the banned Ulfa‑I, indicating the outfit’s pan‑India reach in extortion and funding operations.The arrested men, identified as Noor Mohammad of Saharanpur and Mohammad Subhan of Kanpur, were traced to a rented accommodation in Unnao’s Budhwari area, where they had been living for nearly six months under concealed identities. A team of Assam Police, working in coordination with local police and surveillance units, tracked and arrested the duo.The two accused were brought to Tinsukia on Thursday for further questioning, Tinsukia additional superintendent of police (headquarters) Mrinmoy Das said. On May 25, Sheikh Bashir, a resident of Palghar in Maharashtra who had already been arrested in connection with the same case, was also brought to Tinsukia. All three are currently being interrogated at Tinsukia Police Station.“We have now brought three accused to Tinsukia — two from Uttar Pradesh and one from Maharashtra. All three are under interrogation. We are working to establish the complete trail of funding, trace the network of individuals involved, and determine how far this operation extends across the country,” ASP Das said on Friday.A case has been registered against the accused under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for their alleged role in channelling funds to Ulfa‑I.The Unnao arrests form part of a widening crackdown on Ulfa‑I’s alleged extortion and funding networks, with police pursuing leads across multiple states in recent weeks.The latest developments follow a major breakthrough on May 24, when Tinsukia Police arrested five people — including journalist Debashish Gohain and Samar Gohain, assistant general secretary of the Aasu — on suspicion of channelling extortion money on behalf of Ulfa‑I. Bashir, who had a frequent travel history to the northeast and neighbouring countries, was arrested with the help of Maharashtra Police after Debashish Gohain’s interrogation allegedly led to his name.Police said the funds were extortion money collected on behalf of Ulfa‑I, with instructions allegedly routed from the outfit’s chief Paresh Baruah.Two separate cases have been registered at Tinsukia Police Station in connection with the broader investigation, and authorities have indicated that more arrests cannot be ruled out as the probe deepens.