Guwahati, Dec 21 (IANS): Banned militant outfit United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) has claimed that the Assam Police have been arresting innocent people in the name of the outlawed group to hide its own failure.

In a statement on Thursday, the outlawed group stated that Assam Police are only trying to hide their failure by detaining innocent people for their "self-satisfaction". ULFA-I said that there was no connection or involvement whatsoever between the people who have been arrested throughout the state on suspicion of being the militant outfit's linkmen.

"The persons who the Assam Police apprehended from various parts of the state as suspects for their involvement in the recent grenade blasts are not associated with the ULFA-I," the statement said.

"On November 22, December 9 and 14, the ULFA-I had carried out several armed operations in Kakopathar, Sivasagar and Jorhat. As suspects of initiating these attacks, the Assam Police have been picking up several innocent men since December 16 from Guwahati and various other parts of the state. We would like to clarify that these people who have been nabbed are neither associates nor in any way involved in the operations conducted by the ULFA-I," the statement added.

Notably, the Assam Police on Tuesday arrested three persons on the charges of working as linkmen to the banned militant outfit United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) from Guwahati.

The police claimed that one of them is a recruiter for the outlawed group.

The police team also arrested four other individuals from Sivasagar district on the same day for working at the behest of the outlawed group.