Assam Police announce Rs 50,000 reward for absconding mastermind behind Sivasagar extortion bid

Dibrugarh: Two days after a gunbattle at Maduri Molagaon near Nazira in Sivasagar district, the Assam Police on Wednesday revealed that the gang which targeted businessman Lachit Gogoi had planned to collect extortion money and abduct him. The Inspector General of Police (IGP) for the Eastern Range, Satya Raj Hazarika, disclosed the details at a press conference in Sivasagar and announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to the arrest of the prime accused, Manash Gogoi, who is currently absconding.According to IGP Hazarika, eight individuals were involved in the extortion racket. The gang initially demanded Rs 20 lakh from Gogoi in the name of Ulfa-I, which was later negotiated down to Rs 8 lakh. The extortionists first directed the businessman to deliver the cash at Naginimora on the Assam-Nagaland border. After Gogoi refused to travel to the border area, the delivery point was shifted to Maduri Molagaon near Nazira, where the police had already laid a trap with a team deployed in civilian clothing.“Eight youth arrived at the spot on six motorcycles, intending to collect the cash and abduct Lachit Gogoi. Upon spotting the police team in plain clothes, the criminals opened fire indiscriminately. The police were forced to retaliate in self-defence,” IGP Hazarika said.Ritu Gogoi sustained three bullet injuries and was later shifted from Sivasagar Civil Hospital to Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh for advanced treatment. Another suspect, Jitumoni Gogoi,was shot and injured as well. Two others, Kshipra Pratim Gogoi and Dipen Gogoi, were subsequently arrested. A 9mm pistol was recovered during a late-night raid at the residence of the prime accused, while a 7.65mm pistol was seized.Initial probe suggests that Ritu, Kshipra Pratim and Jitumoni joined the plot primarily for quick financial gain. The mastermind, Manash Gogoi, however, has a criminal record spanning over three decades. He was arrested in 1996 for extorting a physician in Nazira, was accused of running an extortion racket targeting a tea estate manager in Amguri in 2012, and has previously been implicated in the abduction of a woman from Sivasagar.Efforts are also underway to identify three other accomplices who fled the scene.“We are investigating whether they were extorting money on behalf of Ulfa-I or doing it themselves by using the outfit’s name,” IGP Hazarika said. He added that the threat calls were routed from Nagaland and that the operational pattern closely resembled past extortion cases linked to the militant outfit.IGP Hazarika also pointed to a broader trend, stating that intelligence reports indicate Ulfa-I camps in Myanmar are facing a severe financial crunch, which is driving operatives and local linkmen to aggressively target businessmen across upper Assam.A manhunt is currently underway across Sivasagar and neighbouring districts to track down the absconding accused.