GUWAHATI, Nov 2 � Assam Police has arrested four persons including one Baikunta Deka, member, Hindi Suraksha Samity, on charges of making threatening calls to several city-based businessmen and demanding extortion �in the name of ULFA leaders�
Police said, �although no link could be established between the group and ULFA leaders so far, we, however, are not ruling out anything at this moment�.
Investigators claim that the group led by Deka, who hails from Nalbari, threatened the businessmen of dire consequences if their demands were not met.
�We managed to get hold of him after tracing his cell phone. Call records suggest that Deka used his cell phone to make the calls,� police said, adding that four cell phones and a number of SIM cards were recovered.
�Of late, we have received quite a few complaints of such nature where extortions were demanded over phone, mostly from businessmen. As in some of the earlier cases where involvement of militants was established, we are following that angle too,� a senior Assam Police official said.
The other three, police said, have been identified as Aminul Haque, Rafikul Islam and Jaidul Isam. The trio was arrested from Kamakya Gate area based on the statement of Deka.
It needs mention here that Assam Police, in two of the recent incidents of robbery and attacks on city-based businessmen, had unearthed involvement of hardcore cadres of ULFA and NDFB.
Police sources, when asked, stated that several small groups, both organized and unorganized, are resorting to extortion drives and police is consistently tracking their movement.
�According to our information, surrendered cadres of militant outfits are also backing some of the groups,� police added.
