By IANS,
Guwahati : A top separatist bomber and close associate of Paresh Baruah, commander-in-chief of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Assam Saturday, officials said.
A police spokesperson said Prannoy Roy alias Pranab was killed in a joint raid by police and army personnel at Kalipukhuri village in Kokrajhar district, about 230 km west of Assam’s main city of Guwahati.
“Based on specific inputs, security forces cordoned off a house and that resulted in an encounter with the militant first opening fire on the security team,” Kokrajhar police chief P.K. Dutta said.
A 9 mm pistol, a Chinese grenade, three electronic detonators, several rounds of ammunition, a satellite phone and three mobile phones were recovered from the dead militant.
“Roy is a most wanted militant involved in several incidents of bombings. He is one person who was directly in touch with Paresh Baruah through a satellite phone,” Dutta said.
Roy was the second-in-command of ULFA’s 709 Battalion that is active in Guwahati and parts of western Assam.
“We believe Roy was planning a major strike during the upcoming Durga Puja celebrations,” another police official said.
Security forces in Kokrajhar district have so far killed 19 militants since April 29 in separate gunfights.