‘ANVC-B still has powerful arsenal’
TURA: The ANVC-B continues to have in its arsenal an assortment of weapons, including over three dozen AK series assault rifles, along with small arms and hand grenades, a militant of the banned outfit who was arrested this week from Borsora has revealed. ANVC-B is currently in a peace pact with the government.
The militant, Wansimphang Snaitang of Kulang, who was nabbed by a police team while he was engaged in extortions at Borosa on Sunday has also told the police that the two assault rifles stolen from slain BSF jawans during an ambush in November last year are currently hidden inside the general headquarters of the group. The militants had also looted from the jawans 100 rounds of ammunition and a walkie-talkie handset.
The militant was caught with a pistol and one live round, 18 rounds of 12-bore ammunition, over a dozen explosive sticks with detonation caps, fuse wire and Rs 6,000 in cash. During his interrogation by the South West Khasi Hills police, he spilled the beans on the incident.
The arrested militant, who was part of ANVC-B command under one Jack Marak, also told police interrogators that he had been based in the outfit’s camp at Edenbari, near Tura, in January when police raided the place after two sub-inspectors were shot and injured by the militants during a routine visit to ascertain a missing persons report. “After police burnt down the Edenbari camp we were directed to take shelter in another camp located at Asakgre area of Chokpot. The camp is under the command of sergeant major Gandhi and housed 50 militants including ten women cadres,” the arrested ultra revealed.