TURA: Tura police have raided a camp of the ANVC-B in Edenbari and seized an assortment of weapons and arrested as many as 24 cadres over the outfit’s alleged role in the recent attacks on migrant labourers that has left two dead in less than a week in Tura.
Seven other militants managed to escape the police dragnet as they happened to be absent from the camp when the raid took place.
The camp that was raided by police commandos happens to be the same place which was targeted by security forces, in January this year, wherein several dozen bows and arrows including other lethal weapons had been seized. The location of the camp was in the premises belonging to ANVC-B chairman Bernard (Rimpu) Marak on the outskirts of Tura town.
“We raided the place after getting crucial information and evidence about the presence of those who were involved in the murder of migrant workers in Tura town,” informed district police chief Mukesh Kr Singh to The Shillong Times.
According to the police chief, security forces surrounded the camp at around 5 PM on Saturday and ordered the cadres to surrender. Some of the inmates in the camp tried to make a dash for freedom through the back portion but were nabbed by police personnel who had taken up positions to block all exit routes.
One of the militants arrested include the camp in charge of the outfit Mastin Ch Sangma.
A search of the camp premises by security forces led to the recovery of six shotguns, a double barrel gun, a .22 modified pistol and a 7.65 automatic pistol with one magazine, 25 shotgun ammunition, four 7.65 and four .22 calibre rounds. Two motorcycles have also been confiscated from the camp.
There has been a spate of attacks on migrant workers from Assam in and around Tura town leading to much anger in the neighbouring state. Two labourers, hailing from Mancachar area of Dhubri were found murdered in Tura in the last one week with no breakthrough into both cases.