As many as five youths from Assam are suspected to have joined the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I).

The five youths have been identified as Tonmoy Bora, Diganta Gowala and Shubash Hira hailing from Nagaon, Suruj Moran from Tinsukia and Hirokjyoti Bora from Mangaldai.

Since September last year, around 296 Assam youths have joined the banned militant outfit.

Last month, three youths were arrested for allegedly trying to join ULFA-I. The trio was arrested from Brahmajan area of Tinsukia district while they were en route Jairampur in Arunachal Pradesh.

Two girls from Guwahati were also suspected to have joined the militant outfit last month.

Meanwhile, ULFA-I chief Paresh Baruah had earlier denied any involvement in recruiting youths via social media.

In a statement, he said alleged that the police and other forces have been creating fake facebook accounts in the name of the utfit and luring unemployed youths to join the group.

“We have been apprised about the some of the inputs that many people from media, police forces, youth organisation have been falsely recruiting these youths and later these youth are shown arrested for their (police and forces) vested interest,'' the statement read.

''ULFA (I) wants to clear that the outfit is not running any recruitment drive via social media,'' it added.

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