SHILLONG: Five powerful IEDs, one of them weighing 20 kg, were recovered on Sunday from a school in Williamnagar, East Garo Hills, where security personnel retreat after the day’s operations.
Police said that the IEDs were planted by GNLA in the school primarily to target the security personnel who take shelter whenever they come for operations in the village and surrounding areas.
A police official said on Sunday that the matter came to light after the arrest of a hardcore GNLA worker.
According to police, based on specific source information, East Garo Hills police arrested the GNLA hardcore civilian cadre, Enison Ch Momin alias Vodafone (34), from Adugre village. Enison has been working for GNLA for the last 5 years.
The arrested worker told the police that Sohan along with 18 of his cadres had come to Adugre village before January 26 this year and planted the IEDs in the school.
“Enison was entrusted to detonate the five high intensity IEDs placed in Adugre school which were later recovered and defused by the police team,” a statement of the police said.
Out of the five IEDs, one weighing almost 20 kg was placed in a metal trunk inside the classroom. Another IED encased in a metal pitcher (chi basing in Garo) was buried in the classroom. In the school compound, two more IEDs encased in metal pitchers were recovered.
One IED encased in a claymore box was also recovered from the school compound.
The IEDs were connected in series by a wire which was to be detonated by a battery. The police team had videographed and photographed the entire operation, the statement said.
Police said that GNLA is desperate after the launch of Operation Hillstorm 3 to neutralize militants.
Several police teams are in Durama jungle carrying out counter insurgency operations for the last four days which have resulted in recovery of huge quantity of explosives.
