3 ONGC employees kidnapped by suspected ULFA(I) militants in Assam

Three employees of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) were on Wednesday kidnapped by suspected ULFA(I) militants from its Lakwa oilfield in Sivasagar district along the Assam-Nagaland border.

The PSU, in a statement, said that the three employees have been abducted by unknown armed miscreants in the early hours of Wednesday from a rig site of ONGC in Lakwa field of Sivasagar.

The three employees have been identified as M M Gogoi and Ritul Saikia -- both junior technicians (production) -- and Alakesh Saikia, a junior engineering assistant, an ONGC spokesperson told PTI.

"The abducted employees were taken by the miscreants in an operational vehicle belonging to ONGC. Later, the vehicle was found abandoned near the Nimonagarh jungle close to the Assam-Nagaland border," the statement said.

A senior official of the Sivasagar district administration said that suspected ULFA(I) militants are behind this kidnapping and they escaped through Nagaland.

"These are very preliminary findings. We can talk about it after some investigation," he added.

No demand for ransom or anything else has been received so far.

ONGC said a complaint has already been lodged with the local police and higher officials have reached the site.

"Local administration has been informed about the incident and ONGC is in constant touch with the higher authorities," it added.

The company stated that it has been exploring and producing oil and gas in Upper Assam since the early 1960s.