TURA: The man who allegedly shipped in the explosives for use on an ambush against security forces in Chisobibra village, on the outskirts of Williamnagar town, in the first week of October has been arrested by police from the heart of the district headquarters.
Police caught the over ground worker of the banned GNLA identified as Komar T Sangma (24) in Soil market of the town on Wednesday evening.
He had been in the wanted list of security forces for his alleged involvement in the attack on two passing police vehicles which narrowly escaped an IED explosion next to a wooden bridge in broad daylight.
At the time of his arrest, the accused had tried to pass off as a coal gate operator of Nangalbibra but later changed his version at the police station claiming to be a timber merchant.
When presented with facts about his involvement with the banned outfit he reportedly confessed to his crime.
According to police, the IED explosive was handed over to Komar, who hails from Jongmegre village of Samanda, by GNLA chief Sohan D Shira.
The accused is alleged to have ferried the device from the GNLA hideout and handed it over to action commander Jimmy for the Chisobibra operation.
“He (Komar) not only passed on the explosives to Jimmy but also surveyed the target area and kept a lookout for the police vehicle,” informed district police chief JFK Marak.
Nine police personnel traveling in two gypsy vehicles from Tura to Williamnagar on October 8 were targeted with a powerful IED blast near Chisobibra bridge by GNLA militants.
The security personnel had a narrow escape as the explosion occurred seconds before their vehicles passed through the ambush site.
Meanwhile, militants belonging to the A’chik National Liberation Army (ANLA) claims to have attacked overloaded coal trucks operating in Nangalbibra and Chokpot region of South Garo Hills but security forces are skeptic of their claims.
The militant group’s area commander calling himself as Challang A’chik informed media houses that his group had set ablaze overloaded coal trucks at the two places for the transporters failure to adhere to the supreme court ruling banning overloading.
“Next time the drivers and handymen will also get burnt with the trucks if they don’t follow the rules of the court. We are doing this for the betterment of NH-62 and if the owners are not serious we will take stern action. Trucks body should be four feet high,” demanded the militant group.
Meanwhile, South Garo Hills police have denied receiving any report of arson attack on coal trucks in the last 24 hours.
“There is no reports about torching of trucks in the district so far,” said district police chief Davis Nestell R Marak.
However, a couple of weeks ago there had been an arson attack on a limestone truck belonging to Virgo Cements at Darengre village on the outskirts of Tura by unidentified persons. The limestone laden truck which was coming from Chokpot with the mineral en route to its cement plant at Damas in North Garo Hills was attacked at Darengre by suspected militants and burnt down even as the driver and handyman escaped unhurt.
Police had suspected the involvement of militants in that attack, particularly the banned GNLA.