GUWAHATI, March 3 � The hardline faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), headed by Paresh Baruah, is facing a severe fund crunch and the possibility of more acts of violence like the recent grenade blast in Guwahati city cannot be ruled out.
Highly-placed security sources told The Assam Tribune that from the intercepts of the messages of the ULFA leaders, it is quite clear that the outfit is facing a major financial crunch and it launched a major extortion drive in different parts of the state. With most of those who received demands not paying up, the outfit may try to indulge in acts of violence to make its presence felt, sources said.
Sources revealed that the hardline faction of the ULFA has started demanding money from businessmen, particularly from the upper Assam districts of Tinsukia and Dibrugarh and senior leader of the outfit, Jiban Moran, who is now in Myanmar, has started calling up people himself demanding money. In a few cases, Paresh Baruah himself called up prominent traders. However, according to information available with the security forces, most of those who received such calls, are yet to pay the demanded amount.
The hardcore members of the ULFA, who are in India, have also been receiving calls from the camps in Myanmar asking them to send money to run the camps. The senior ULFA leaders, who are now in India include Drishti Rajkhowa, who is in Garo Hills area with Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), Babul Gogoi, who is in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh and Rajiv Das and Nayan Medhi, who are in Majuli. However, they have not been able to collect enough money to be sent to the camps of the outfit in Myanmar, sources added.
On the movement of ultras, sources said that there as definitely input that a number of militants managed to sneak into India from the bases in Myanmar in recent times and the grenade blast in Guwahati was caused by a ULFA member from Dibrugarh. The Assam Police investigation in this regard is on �the right track� and there is every possibility of nabbing the culprits soon, sources said.
Sources said that from the intercepts of the communication of the ULFA members, it was clear that there were movement of �aaloo� from one place of the state to other. The ULFA members mention grenades as �aaloo� in their communications. The intercepts proved that the ULFA members managed to bring in substantial number of grenades to the state and the possibility of grenade blasts in different parts of the state cannot be ruled out. Guwahati city is always vulnerable for such attacks as any act of violence in the city attracts maximum possible publicity. But as a number of traders in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia received extortion demands, the possibility of the ULFA triggering explosions to make their presence felt cannot be ruled out.
The ULFA may even use paid agents and those who are seeking to join the ULFA to lob grenades, while, the possibility of kidnappings for extortion also cannot be ruled out.
Sources said that police and security forces have been alerted to thwart the plans of the ULFA.
