Guwahati: Abducted Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) employee Ritul Saikia sets to return home as the United Liberation
Front of Asom (Independent) top leader Paresh Barua admitted on Tuesday that the Assamese operative is in their safe custody and
waiting for the appropriate moment of release. Speaking to a section of city based media outlets barua confirmed that
Ritul was with them and would be sent back to Assam very soon. Ritul along with two other ONGC employees (Mohini Mohan Gogoi and Alakesh
Saikia) were kidnapped by rebels belonged to Ulfa (Independent) on 21 April last from Lakwa oilfield in Sivasagar locality along
Assam-Nagaland border. Both Gogoi and Saikia were later rescued by the security forces on 24
April, but Ritul remained traceless. The encounter with the abductors took place in a remote place of Nagaland, bordering Myanmar. However,
the Ulfa (I) put a different claim that it released all the three kidnapped individuals at a Naga village. If Ritul had not arrived
back, he might get killed by the security forces. Since then, there was confusion about Ritul’s where abouts.
Later, taking the charge as new chief minister of Assam, saffron politician Sarma appealed to militants, precisely Barua, to shun the
path of violence and join the peace process. Barua, who is understood to be taking shelter in the jungles of Myanmar-China border, responded
with positive notes to the saffron politician as a goodwill for peace talks.