Tea garden manager still missing

Tinsukia, Sept. 30: The manager of a small tea garden from the district, Saillyo Dahotia, who was abducted by suspected Ulfa (Independent) militants on Thursday, remained untraced today.

Sources said Ulfa (I) leaders contacted the owner of Phukan tea garden, Rajiv Phukan, for the second time today after the militant outfit had demanded a ransom of Rs 1 crore hours after abducting Dahotia.

A group of six suspected Ulfa cadres abducted Dahotia from the garden at Rita Kathalguri under Bordumsa police station on Thursday night.

Sources said security forces have been conducting searches in the jungles along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.

A source in the intelligence agency said an unidentified caller, claiming to be from Ulfa (I), called Phukan from a cellphone today, reminding him that they had already served an extortion demand to which he did not pay heed.

The militant outfit had served a demand note to Phukan a few months ago.