GUWAHATI, Jan 31: Growing links between the militant outfits of the North Eastern region and Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) backed Kashmiri militant outfits is causing concern among the security agencies and recently the security agencies have come across links between the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and Jamait Ul Mujaheedin (JUM), a Pakistan Occupied Kashmir based militant outfit.
Highly placed security sources said that the links between the ULFA and the JUM came to light after the seizure of huge number of AK 47 ammunition in Kolkata, following which, two ULFA cadres, one JUM cadre and linkmen of both the outfits were arrested. The security agencies came to know about the details of the links between the ULFA and the JUM after the interrogation of the arrested persons.
Sources said that the ULFA was paid Rs five lakh by the JUM for the ammunition and the outfit procured 25,000 rounds of AK 47 ammunition from Bangladesh and brought the same to Garo Hills of Meghalaya, from where the same was being transported in a truck when the security agencies managed to capture the truck.
One of the JUM militants arrested in this connection, Farhat Mahmood of Srinagar told the security agencies during interrogation that he worked under the direct supervision of General Abdullah, chief of the JUM , who is based in the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
He told the security agencies that in May last year, he was told by his boss General Abdullah that a consignment of weapons would come from a North- east based militant outfit and he was to receive the same in Kolkata. He was also paid a sum of Rs one lakh by Abdullah through hawala transfer. He was also asked to meet a ULFA linkman in Kolkata to ensure the safe transport of the consignment to Kashmir.
Sources said that in the meantime, a linkman of the ULFA, Aftab received the consignment in the Dhubitalab area of Kolkata and he made forged papers for the truck to ensure its safe journey to Kashmir. But the attempt was foiled as the security agencies became suspicious of the truck parked in the same place for a long time.
The ULFA used another of its linkman in Kolkata Abid Imam alias Riki in the whole operation. During interrogation by the security agencies, Riki admitted that he was in close touch with the ULFA commander in chief Paresh Baruah and used to provide shelter to the ULFA cadres in Kolkata. He also used to channelise funds from Bhutan to Bangladesh for the outfit. In May last year, Paresh Baruah had instructed him about the ammunition consignment and he also received Rs five lakh from the JUM man and transferred the same to Bangladesh.
The ULFA used one SG Momin in Tura to procure a truck in the Garo Hills district and he did so by paying an amount of Rs 2.70 lakh. Two senior ULFA militants Dristi Rajkhowa and Jayanta Rabha loaded the ammunition in the truck in the Bhazamara area under Phulbari police station and Momin was given the phone number of Imam in Kolkata so that he can contact Imam immediately after reaching the West Bengal capital. The truck was finally seized in September and the links were established following detailed interrogation of the arrested persons.
Sources pointed out that it is always easy for the militants to use trucks to transport weapons and ammunition as it is not possible to check each and every truck without any specific information. The ULFA had earlier transported huge amounts of arms and ammunition on trucks following operation Golden Bird in Mizoram in 1995, during which the ULFA foreign secretary Sasha Choudhury was also arrested.
Meanwhile, sources said that the growing links between the militants of the North east with the ISI backed militant outfit posed a serious security threat to the country as a whole. So far the security agencies were aware of the links between the ULFA and ISI and it is a well established fact that the ULFA cadres were trained by the ISI in Pakistan. But for the first time, links between the ULFA and the JUM has been established.
Sources also said that after the arrest of NDFB general secretary Dhiren Boro last year, the security agencies came to know the fact that NDFB cadres were also trained in Pakistan, while, militants belonging to the ATTF of Tripura and PLA and UNLF of Manipur also received training in Pakistan, a fact which came to light only recently after the arrests of the cadres of these outfits.