From Our Correspondent
TURA: Two militants of the proscribed GNLA, who have reportedly broken ties with the outfit to operate ‘independently’, were arrested in Tura on Tuesday.
One of the main leaders of the group that had abandoned the GNLA was arrested from Chandmari market with a female companion while proceeding to board a Winger Taxi to go out of the town.
He was identified as Sengsan R Marak (21) of Resubelpara in North Garo Hills. He belonged to the 4th batch of trained cadres of the GNLA and had been operating in the Dalu-Kherapara-Purakhasia region.
“He was a deputy area commander and he was planning to travel to link up with an arms dealer from Assam when we caught him,” said Mukesh Kr Singh, SP, Tura.
From the arrested militant police seized an automatic pistol with a magazine and live ammunition, a wireless set, two mobile phones and GNLA demand notes.
Based on his confession, a police team raided Janga locality and arrested another cadre of the outfit identified as Senton K Marak (21) of Resubelpara.
It was revealed that while the cadres were no longer under the command of the GNLA, yet, they continued to operate under the outfit’s name and were issuing demand notes and extorting money in its name.
“They had planned to undertake a massive extortion drive in Tura by serving demand notes and with the money they received they were planning to purchase weapons,” said the police chief.
The arrested cadres are part of the same group which left the GNLA several months ago and has been operating on their own in the Kherapara-Dalu region spreading terror on innocent villagers.
Security forces had been finding it difficult to nab the group due to the confusion as the members of the group continued to use the GNLA name, dress code and even the letter pads and seal of the outfit.
Meanwhile, in Chokpot region of south Garo Hills, SWAT commandos raided the house of an active sympathizer of the GNLA and recovered detonators and ammunition. Police raided the house of GNLA overground worker Atanas Marak at Dagi Adugre village, 5 kms from Chokpot on Tuesday but the accused managed to give the raiding party a slip. Police seized ten numbers of detonators used for triggering IED bombs, ten rounds of 9 mm ammo, around four rounds of AK bullets and three empty AK magazines from the house.