SHILLONG: A day after the banned militant outfit HNLC threatened to make the MPCC office in the heart of the city its next target, Shillong police has asserted that it is not taking the threat lightly.
East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police, M. Kharkrang, said police are also working on its inputs gathering to thwart any such move by the outfit.
Reacting to a query about the strength of the HNLC, the district police chief said police have to maintain vigil at all times as carrying out a bomb blast does not require hundreds of people but such evil crimes can be committed by few as was done in Jhalupara last year.
The HNLC, while making it clear that it would not harm the public by triggering a blast, also threatened that the outfit would make the State police machinery taste its IEDs.
Reacting to a query about the extortion drives of the HNLC, the district police chief said the outfit was involved in extortion drives in the district.
“They have tried to go for extortion but we were able to thwart their attempts,” Kharkrang said.
It may be recalled that the HNLC earlier had threatened to resort to violence after the State government failed to respond to its willingness to hold talks. The outfit had even stated that it had made a plan to blow up the High Court of Meghalaya and the State Secretariat.