Assam Police have said ULFA (I) rebel Bijoy Asom hurled the grenade on Wednesday in front of the Guwahati Central shopping mall on busy RG Baruah Road in Guwahati injuring 12 persons.
“Bijoy along with Jahnabi Saikia visited the blast site several times before carrying out the grenade attack. Saikia was riding the scooty, while her pillion rider Bijoy lobbed the grenade targeting security forces,” Guwahati commissioner of police Deepak Kumar told reporters here on Saturday.
Kumar said following the blast, one Chinmoy picked Bijoy up at Ganeshguri and dropped him at Khanapara traffic point of the city.
“We are looking for senior ULFA cadre, Bijoy Asom, who is the main accused in the case,” said the police commissioner.
“Our investigation is on. We have received lots of inputs but we cannot reveal these for it might hamper the investigation. But there will be more people who we are looking for,” he added.
Police have already arrested Jahnabi Saikia, a little known TV actor along with her associate, pro-talk ULFA leader Pranamoy Rajguru from a rented house in city’s Panjabari area.
Police officials said based their confessions, police have also arrested three other persons in connection with the blast.
While Pranamoy and Jahnabi were arrested on Wednesday, three others—Chinmoy Laskar, Indra Mohan Bora and Amit Ballav Goswami were arrested on Friday.
Former ULFA rebel Amit, who according to police is a bomb expert, was arrested from Golaghat while Chinmoy and Indra were apprehended from Guwahati and Nagaon respectively.
According to police, Chinmoy, a resident of city’s Christianbasti area, joined ULFA (I) few months back and Indra worked as linkman of the outfit.
Kumar said the anti-talk ULFA (I) is now trying to float a overground organization, members of which will live among the common people and continue to spread the ideology of the outfit besides giving logistic support to the underground cadres for carrying out subversive activities.
“The ULFA (I) is suffering financial setback. The young generation of Assam has lost interest in the insurgent group. So the they are using its old cadres and sympathizers to spread their ideology in different areas. These people look after fresh recruitment, give logic support to the cadres and spread the outfit’s ideology,” he said.
The police commissioner further indicated that some intellectuals of the state are working as the think tanks of the outfit.
“We are investigating into the whole issue and stern action will be taken against anyone who is found to be involved in this,” he said.