The Hindu : National : FCI official’s body found in Assam

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Sunday, Jul 01, 2007
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FCI official’s body found in Assam

Sushanta Talukdar

GUWAHATI: Police recovered the body of abducted Food Corporation of India official P.C. Ram from Anandapur village in Lower Assam’s Baksa district on Saturday.

Baksa Superintendent of Police Kankanjyoti Saikia told The Hindu over phone that an unclaimed decomposed body was recovered in the village.

It was later identified to be that of the FCI official by his former domestic help Junu Murmu. The body was taken to Nalbari Civil Hospital for post-mortem.

Dr. Ram, who was northeast FCI head, was abducted along with his driver by suspected militants of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) from here on April 17 while on his way home from office. The abductors released the driver after two days. According to police, the ULFA demanded a ransom of Rs.21 crore for Dr. Ram’s release.

Police said the body was found buried in the village and did not bear any injury mark.

A gamocha (cloth) was tied around the neck. Villagers informed the police when they noticed a hand at an isolated area.

Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order) D.K. Pathak said the police also requested FCI officials to identify the body. The initial inquest indicated that decomposition might have set in a week ago.

Arms recovered

The recovery of the body came close to the arrest of five ULFA militants at Murkuchiapara village of the district on Thursday night in a joint operation by the Army’s Red Horn Division and the Baksa police.

The security forces recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition that included two foreign-made pistols, one revolver, 32 rounds of ammunition of AK-47 rifles, seven kg of explosives, four detonators, three Chinese grenades and four programmable time devices.

The Army and police had been carrying out a massive search operation for the abducted official following information that Dr. Ram was reportedly being held hostage in the district.

Preliminary interrogation of the arrested ULFA cadres revealed that they had facilitated in the shifting of Dr. Ram from one place to another.

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