TURA: The search for hidden GNLA arms continues to pay rich dividends for Meghalaya Police with the latest recovery involving a huge cache of arms being found in the jungle of Nengmandalgre and Bolkingre across Simsang river near Williamnagar, on Sunday.
Williamnagar police have recovered a powerful Light Machine Gun (LMG) personally belonging to slain GNLA chief Sohan D Shira.
Besides the LMG were two AK-56 rifles, an INSAS rifle and as many as 30 automatic pistols found concealed in different parts of the jungle in the two villages.
Police sources revealed that the arms were stashed away by Sohan prior to his death and it’s locations were known only to a handful of his inner circle.
While one set of arms were hidden next to a pig sty, another batch was sealed in waterproof material and concealed in a banana plantation.
Williamnagar police had taken in for questioning the brother-in-law of Sohan along with four other overground workers after getting inputs that they had knowledge about the sites where the arms were concealed.
The four men, namely Lebison Ch Marak (37), Jonathone Ch Momin (32), Albin Ch Momin (45), Jatngbath T Sangma (25), all hailing from Dorengkigre village were later placed under arrest while a 17 -year-old juvenile from Chachatgre village was handed over to an observation home.
The arrested men led police to the different places for recovery of the concealed weapons.
Along with the guns were 44 SLR magazines containing 60 live rounds, 44 pistol magazines, 2 LMG magazines, one magazine each of AK and INSAS rifle and seven walkie talkies communication handsets.
East Garo Hills police have been conducting extensive search operations in the jungles where the GNLA chief once had a base to try and locate the weapons left behind by Sohan.
The deceased militant chief was known to have a huge number of assorted weapons most of which remain hidden in the forests of East Garo Hills with their location known to a handful of his loyal supporters.
In the past one week there have been several recoveries including two dozen pistols, Claymore IED casings, remote control devices and detonators and bulletproof jackets.