TURA: Garo Hills police shot dead a militant of the banned Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) following a raid on their hideout deep inside the forest of Nangalbibra region in South Garo Hills on Tuesday morning.
Police commandos from East Garo Hills launched an operation across its district border into Nangalbibra region early morning to locate a hideout of the banned GNLA when they came under fire from a jungle camp of the rebels deep inside the forests of Gare Ringdi at around 7:30 in the morning.
In the retaliatory firing one unidentified militant was killed while the other rebels fled by jumping off a cliff to escape the security forces.
Police recovered a semi- automatic pistol and some ammunition from the encounter site together with GNLA demand notes and receipts, gelatin sticks and six mobile phones. A search operation continued in the area to try and locate two other militants who sustained injuries in the gunfight but managed to escape, informed Meghalaya police.
Police teams had to walk for over five hours deep inside the forests to locate the hideout.
The militants had pitched camp in the area sometime ago to indulge in extortion and regroup. They were reportedly from the GNLA command headed by area commanders Nit and Adram, two senior commanders of the group who have been tasked by the GNLA chief Sohan D Shira to oversee its operations in the coal-rich Nangalbibra region.
Elusive GNLA chief Sohan was not present in the encounter, police sources say.
GNLA cadre surrenders: Meanwhile, a GNLA ultra who underwent arms training under the 7th batch of recruits of the banned group, has given himself up.
The ultra Hembone T Sangma alias Sling and also known in rebel ranks as Creambone surrendered before South Garo Hills SP Abraham T Sangma at Baghmara on Monday.