By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Police are not taking lightly the threat issued by the proscribed GNLA to retaliate following the death of one of its cadres on Friday
The GNLA C-in-C Sohan D Shira has threatened to carry out retaliatory attacks after one of the commanders Pilon M Sangma alias Markus was gunned down in a three-hour gunfight with security forces on Friday at Bansamgre village, about 25 kms from Williamnagar town.
“We know that the GNLA top brass would try to retaliate to boost the morale of their cadres. We are not taking things lightly,” DGP Peter James Pyngrope Hanaman said here on Saturday.
Hanaman, who visited the encounter site along with some senior police officials, said his men were being sensitized from time to time on security aspects.
It may be mentioned that despite being surrounded, the militants refused to surrender and continued to return fire on the approaching security forces.
The gun battle finally ended with the killing of GNLA lance corporal Pilon M Sangma alias Marcus shortly after 10am which forced the rest of the militants to flee from the site of the encounter.
Police recovered an AK 47 rifle with three magazines containing 148 rounds of live ammo, a powerful and sophisticated US-made .45 Colt pistol with 17 rounds, a hand grenade and two wireless sets besides GNLA incriminating documents.
The killing of the GNLA militant comes just a day after the district police arrested an arms dealer and seized three AK rifles along with a under barrel grenade launcher that was being shipped in from Dimapur in Nagaland for Sohan D Shira of the GNLA.