Dibrugarh, Aug. 4: The banned Ulfa is playing a double game with Delhi. While on the one hand it has stepped up its recruitment and extortion drives, it is making noises about the peace process on the other.

The outfit is roping in fresh cadre to beef up its “military might” and, at the same time, serving demand notes on businessmen and traders in Upper Assam.

Security personnel engaged in counter-insurgency operations have disclosed that apart from quietly carrying out its recruitment drive, Ulfa has been despatching the new recruits for training in batches to various camps run by “friendly” outfits.

This came to light after a letter was recovered recently, written by a senior Ulfa leader — self-styled “Maj.” Jibon Moran — to the commandant of the 2nd Battalion of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) based at Mon in Nagaland. This letter revealed the names of some of the new recruits.

The letter was recovered recently from an encounter site in Dhemaji district, where an Ulfa militant, Bhaskar Baruah, was killed.

“This letter proves that the outfit has not only continued its extortion drive, but has also been carrying out recruitment and simultaneously training the inductees,” Dhemaji superintendent of police Mridulananda Sarma, who had led the operation, said over telephone.

Two other Ulfa militants, Anil Basumatary and Bhaben Sonowal, were arrested after the encounter, which took place on Monday.

For the past two days, intelligence agencies have been analysing the documents recovered from the spot where the encounter occurred.

Their officials have reached the conclusion that the outfit had adopted “a very systematic approach” to recruitment of fresh cadre.

“After going through the documents and cross-checking these with information that had been gathered in the past, it has become clear that Jibon Moran is issuing letters in the recruitment format, signed by him, to senior Ulfa cadre on the ground level. After recruiting fresh members, they fill up the names and send them directly to the NSCN (K) camp at Mon with requests for guerrilla training,” a source disclosed. The source revealed that Ulfa is sending batches of trained cadre to camps of the NSCN (K)’s 1st battalion at Langlung in Myanmar for advanced training.

The Dhemaji SP also disclosed that the police are launching a crackdown on the outfit’s extortion drive in the district.

“We have received inputs that two relatives of arrested Ulfa leader Rashid Bharali, who had masterminded the Dhemaji blast, is assisting the outfit’s extortion drive in Gerelumukh. The slain Bhaskar Baruah was supposed to hand over Rs 25,000 in cash to Rashid Bharali’s sister to help secure his release,” Sarma added.

Sources revealed that the extortion drive has assumed alarming proportions in Sivasagar, Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts as well.

Several businessmen and traders are quietly paying off the outfit through various channels.

DOUBLE DEALING

• Ulfa has accelerated recruitment & extortion despite ongoing peace process
• New cadres sent to NSCN-K camps in Nagaland & Myanmar for training
• Extortion notes of up to Rs 50 lakh served on traders & merchants in Upper Assam