Tinsukia: Widespread panic and security concerns have gripped Upper Assam's Tinsukia district following the sudden disappearance of eight youths in separate clusters. Local intelligence agencies strongly suspect that the missing boys have crossed border lines to join the banned militant group United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I).
The disappearances occurred across two distinct locations. In the Kordoiguri area, four youths—Lakhyajit Moran, Biplab Moran, Hati Moran, and Nipu Baruah—vanished after leaving their homes under the pretext of participating in local celebrations. Meanwhile, another four individuals—Gauranga Baruah, Upajit Moran, Bastab Baruah, and Satya Bangra—have been reported completely untraceable for over two weeks from the Tekerigaon region near Pengeri.
Intelligence reports indicate that these youths were targeted through highly structured recruitment modules operating along the porous border shared between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. This incident follows the recent high-profile disappearance of 24-year-old Rajdeep Das from Jorhat, whose family similarly suspected an ULFA-I alignment after he travelled to Tinsukia.
Anxious family members have made desperate public pleas. "We just want our children back safely. If they have strayed onto the wrong path, we beg the outfit's leadership to send them home," a relative of one of the missing boys stated.
While intelligence units remain on high alert, top security officials have taken a cautious stance. "Operations have been drastically intensified along our sensitive border corridors," noted a senior officer from the Assam Police. "However, their formal induction into the insurgent faction is yet to be officially confirmed by ground forces."
In response to the escalating threat, joint teams from the Indian Army and state police have established rigorous checkpoints. Security agencies are closely monitoring social media channels, which have increasingly been utilized by the outfit to influence vulnerable youths across rural Upper Assam.