From Our Correspondent
TURA: Police from Williamnagar while acting on source information about the presence of suspected GNLA militants at Darimgre village, 5 kms from Williamnagar police station jurisdiction, launched an operation by SWAT commandos during which two ultras were killed and weapons seized early Sunday morning.
During the operation an encounter took place between the police commandos and GNLA militants at around 7 am when four militants keeping a watch from their jungle hideout near the village opened indiscriminate fire on approaching police teams.
A brief exchange of fire took place in which two militants got killed while another two escaped taking advantage of the thick jungles.
During search of the hideout, two powerful hand grenades, one semi-automatic pistol, a GNLA identify card, a camouflage uniform and other incriminating documents were recovered.
It is a major breakthrough for the Garo Hills police which has not witnessed a major success against the GNLA for many months.
The recovery from the hideout included large numbers of newly printed GNLA demand notes and letter pads for receipt of money.
Williamnagar police have been able to identify from the documents confiscated that the hideout was the central command of the GNLA which was running the extortion drive under direct command of ‘area commander’ Jenie also known as Ringrang.
The central command of GNLA is the most important wing of the outfit and only the most competent and dedicated members of the organization are recruited into the unit.
Commander Jenie is closely associated with GNLA chief Sohan D Shira and took over the central command after the killing of Roster Marak who was also one of the most loyal supporters of the commander-in-chief.
Roster Marak and three other militants, including the nephew of its chairman Champion R Sangma, was gunned down inside Bolkingre forest, 4 kms from Williamnagar, in the first week of August 2011.
Roster was the deputy commander-in-chief of GNLA and controlled the central command of the outfit when he was killed after police planted a mole inside the organization in the form of police constable Hubert who tipped off waiting SWAT commandos to the hideout of the militants while they were asleep.
An encounter took place between the Special Operation Team (SOT) of the Meghalaya Police and suspected GNLA cadres at San kilo village near Shallang in West Khasi Hill district on Saturday at around 2:30 pm, Our Nongstoin Correspondent adds.
On receiving a tip-off that suspected GNLA cadres were extorting money from coal-laden trucks at San Kilo village, the SOT team rushed to the spot.
On seeing the SOT team the ultras opened fire with their automatic pistols and in the resulting crossfiring which lasted for about ten minutes one Pizo Marak was nabbed while the others managed to flee the spot.
Marak has been taken to Shallang OP for necessary interrogation.
Police did not recover any arms from him. Investigation was on to ascertain whether the subject was a trained GNLA militant or a counterfeit one.