TURA: A GNLA militant and six of his accomplices have been caught with a powerful improvised explosive device by South West Garo Hills police from Ampati area late Wednesday night.
Police swooped down on a house harbouring the militant and his accomplices late at night and managed to arrest the militant, Milton Sangma alias Indian, together with six other collaborators.
From the possession of the militant they seized a large six kg bomb with two detonators and a 9 mm pistol with few live rounds.
Security at all police stations and outposts in the Garo Hills has already been beefed up over possible attacks by the GNLA which has threatened to target the men in uniform.
The arrest comes a day after suspected GNLA militants lobbed a crude bomb at the Rongram police outpost, 12 kms from Tura, on Wednesdaynight triggering a blast which left behind a three feet crater but failed to cause any fatalities.
Two days earlier, the militants ambushed a police convoy at Rewak area of Siju by triggering an IED blast which killed two police personnel and injured three others.
Interestingly, while the GNLA has denied any involvement in the Siju-Rewak incident, the arrest in Ampati of its cadre Milton has apparently spilled the beans on the plans of the banned outfit to trigger multiple blasts in different parts of Garo Hills.
According to police the arrested militant reportedly claimed that he along with his team was dispatched by Sohan to plant the bomb and target Ampati.
He also said that several other teams of GNLA militants have already been dispatched to other districts of Garo Hills on a similar ‘operation’ to trigger blasts.
The arrested militant has revealed that the Rewak-Siju IED blast was masterminded by Nangalbibra area commander Rakkam with the active support of GNLA cadres Geloram, Timtam, Sanja, Mangsang and others.