5 cadres arrested from Assam-Meghalaya border
SHILLONG: The Achik National Cooperative Army (ANCA), a nascent militant outfit operating in Garo Hills region is using juveniles to smuggle arms and ammunition into the State, the State Police revealed on Friday.
The revelation comes in the wake of the arrest of five ANCA cadres from the Assam-Meghalaya border on Thursday following a joint operation by Meghalaya and Assam Police.
During interrogation at the Tura Police Station, one of the arrested cadres, Amar A Sangma alias Amar Thapa, revealed that the outfit’s ‘self-styled chairman’ William A Sangma had recently sent two cadres –
14-year-old Mankanson W Sangma and a hardcore ANCA member Elwart M Sangma – to Dimapur to procure weapons for the outfit.
These two were, however, caught by Assam Police along with the weapons at Guwahati Railway Station. Sangma engages young boys for arms smuggling as it is easy for these young people to get bail even if they are caught as they are under aged, Thapa revealed.
Further interrogation of the arrested ANCA cadres revealed that the outfit was mostly engaged in kidnappings in Tura, Tikrikilla and Phulbari areas of Garo Hills and Agia in Assam, besides being actively involved in extortion cases.
The outfit was formed with the sole intent of raising funds through kidnapping and extortion for procuring weapons from Dimapur (Nagaland).
Another arrested cadre, Dilseng K Sangma, disclosed that weapons were supplied from Dimapur but at a high cost due to the risks involved in transportation.
Meanwhile, Anand Tiwari, Superintendent of Police, Kamrup Metro, confirmed that Mankanson W Sangma had been arrested with weapons and was presently lodged in a juvenile home.
Police suspect ANVC-B’s hand in killing of rebels
The State Police suspects the involvement of ANVC-B in the killing of three youths whose dead bodies were recovered from Oragitok village, 25 km from Tura, on Thursday morning.
The bodies were brought to Tura Civil Hospital for post-mortem examination and Tura Police have registered an FIR to probe the case.
Police, quoting sources, informed that the ANVC-B was in the process of ‘weeding out’ renegade elements who were opposed to the leadership and style of functioning of ANVC-B chairman Bernard N Marak alias Rimpu Marak.
Meghalaya Director General of Police P.J.P. Hanaman has directed the State CID to investigate the case.