Extortion in SGH rises as mine money dries up
TURA: With revenue from coal trade having long dried up post the NGT ban on rat hole mining in Meghalaya, militants and criminal gangs here are picking on soft targets to extort money.
A few recent incidents show how police here are facing challenges on all fronts, besides fighting militant outfits GNLA and ASAK.
The kidnapping of a teenager and two others from Kherapara and their murder have disclosed how new groups of petty criminals in Garo Hills are trying their hand at extortion.
The incident also reveals that criminal activities and extortion are not restricted to the forested areas anymore. The isolated portions of the road from Tura to Dalu and Baghmara are prized hunting grounds for criminals and militants alike.
A’chik Revolutionary Front, a criminal gang led by William A Sangma was recently holed up at Selbalgre village, 21 km from Tura. One of the gang members was shot in the gun battle and one arrested. However, William escaped.
“We have inputs about movement of both GNLA and ASAK looking for potential targets for abduction and ransom in South Garo Hills district. With money from the coal trade no longer there, they are desperate to get their hands on anyone to get funds for their sustenance,” said a senior police officer.
A group of GNLA militants led by senior commander Baichung Momin and his two deputies, Kamdak and Baltius, continue to operate in the remote Chokpot region that stretches to Silkigre dispatching extortion letters to businessmen and traders.
Reding T Sangma’s ASAK outfit is also active around the Baghmara-Rewak-Siju-Rongara region looking for potential prey.