TURA: There seems to be no end to the cache of arms and ammunition that the once dreaded GNLA outfit stashed across the hills and forests of East Garo Hills overlooking Williamnagar and the Simsang river.
On Tuesday morning police unearthed dozens of live rounds of ammunition meant for a sniper rifle that had been buried underground by Late Sohan D Shira, the once feared chief of the banned outfit.
“We received specific inputs about buried arms and ammunition at Dorengkigre jungles and a special operation team was dispatched to search the area this morning. After a thorough search we ewere able to locate the hidden items in a jungle area approximately 20 kms from Williamnagar,” informed East Garo Hills Superintendent of Police Bruno A Sangma.
Dorengkigre was once a well known hideout of the GNLA which not only used the vast jungle area to set up training camps but also concealed an assortment of weapons which have been gradually unearthed in the last three years.
Tuesday’s recovery comprised of 219 rounds of 7.7 mm sniper ammunition, a demand note of the GNLA and 53 number of ear phones used on walkie talkie communication sets.
At the peak of militancy the area known as Durama Hills, of which comprised Dorengkigre forests, were battlegrounds that witnessed frequent armed clashes between security forces and rebels of the GNLA.