2 employees of oil firm kidnapped in Arunachal Pradesh

Two workers of a private oil exploration company were abducted by unidentified gunmen on Monday evening from their work site in Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh.

Although insurgent groups like Ulfa (Independent) and NSCN are active in Changlang with Myanmar on its east and south, police said they were yet to identify the group involved behind the act. "Efforts are on to identify the group and trace them," Devansh Yadav, deputy commissioner of Changlang told DH on Tuesday.

Police said the two abducted persons have been identified as PK Gogoi and Ram Kumar. Gogoi is a drilling superintendent at Quippo Oil and Gas Infrastructure Limited and is a resident of Sivasagar district in eastern Assam, while Kumar hails from Bihar and works as a radio operator in the company.

"We are in touch with the private company and working on the information provided by them. But so far there has been no breakthrough in our investigation," Changlang SP, Mihin Gambo told reporters in Itanagar.

The incident happened in a place under Diyung police station, where the private company has been carrying out drilling for exploration of oil.

Family members of Gogoi in Assam appealed to the abductors and the security forces to "sort out the issues amicably" and ensure their safe return.

Although there is no "home grown" militant group in Arunachal Pradesh, members of Ulfa (I) and NSCN use Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts as transit to reach their hideouts in Myanmar. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act is in force in the three districts due to the violent activities frequently reported there.

Six members of NSCN were gunned down by security forces in July this year in Changlang after they allegedly tried to ambush a team of security forces.