— PHOTO: Ritu Raj Konwar

SHOT DEAD: Security personnel removing the body of a suspected militant killed in an encounter on Tuesday.

Guwahati: Three suspected militants of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) were killed in an encounter with the police in Adingiri hills here near Maligaon late on Monday night even as security forces intensified their search for the abducted Executive Director of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), P.C. Ram.

The FCI official was abducted by the ULFA on April 17.

Rescue operation discussed

FCI Chairman-cum-Managing Director Aloke Sinha, who arrived in the city from Delhi on Tuesday afternoon, called on Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and met Chief Secretary P.C. Sarma, Home Commissioner Rajiv Bora and discussed at length the possibility of a rescue operation.

"Still alive"

On Monday night, Mr. Gogoi told reporters in Shillong that the abducted FCI official was "still alive" and efforts were on to rescue him.

Mr. Ram's driver Rabiram Basumatary was released by the ULFA on Sunday afternoon.

Encounter

Giving details about Monday night's encounter in the city, the police said that acting on a tip-off about some ULFA militants purchasing a plot of land in Adingiri hills near the Maligaon Gosala area, a police team traced the makeshift house where the three suspected militants were taking shelter.

When the team approached the house for carrying out a search operation, the militants lobbed grenades. The police team retaliated and the three suspected militants were killed.

Explosives defused

The police recovered one M-20 pistol, a grenade, two bombs and some explosives from the slain militants.

Two improvised explosive devices were recovered from a rented house near Adabari which were defused by bomb disposal squad later.

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