TURA: Khomraj Bhattarai of the 6th Meghalaya Police Battalion, who was abducted by a Garo Hills-based militant group GNLA on November 6, has remained untraced, even as the Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Mehta on Monday paid a visit to Resubelpara, North Garo Hills, to review the ongoing operations to trace the abducted policeman.
Bhattarai was kidnapped by GNLA militants led by area commander Pilliport D Shira.
The off-duty and unarmed policeman is suspected to have been executed by the militants soon after he was taken captive by the GNLA.
The army troopers have also been inducted along with the CRPF’s elite COBRA units to aid the Meghalaya police in locating the abducted police constable.
ASAK cadre nabbed : Meanwhile, a member of the Garo outfit ASAK has been nabbed and another injured in an encounter with Williamnagar police on Monday afternoon when the rebels had descended on Samanda village, 19 kms from the district town, to collect extortion money served on traders.
The ASAK outfit had served several dozen demand notes on traders and businessmen in Williamnagar town over the last one week with the figures going as high as seven to Rs 10 lakh.
However, instead of being cowed down by the rebel threats, several businessmen approached the police and lodged FIRs refusing to comply with the demands of the group which is the prime accused in the kidnapping and murder of central intelligence official Vikash Kumar Singh from Panda, over a month ago.
On Monday afternoon, the militants asked one of the traders to bring the extortion money to Samanda for delivery. The group had initially demanded Rs 7 lakh but after ‘negotiations’ finally agreed to accept Rs 20,000.
Williamnagar police and SWAT commandos in the guise of civilians laid an ambush for the militants at the designated spot which was a little distance from the main road.
The three unsuspecting militants accepted the parcel containing the fake money and were about to proceed back to the jungles when they were asked to surrender by the police commandos in position.
Two of the rebels carrying pistols opened fire and began to run forcing the police to return fire.
In the brief exchange one rebel was hit but managed to escape with injuries. The third accomplice, identified as Tartius Sangma of Dinamangre village, located across the Samanda Block office, was apprehended by police from the encounter site.
After discovering a blood trail from the encounter site leading into the forests police have launched a combing operation to try and locate the injured cadre who has been identified as one Sengrak.
“Initially we were made to understand that the injured cadre was Sengbat D Shira who was the main person who kidnapped the SIB officer from Panda reserve forest. But we have come to know that it is Sengrak, and not Sengbat, who was injured in the encounter. We are trying to locate him,” said district police chief Davis Nestell R Marak.
