SHILLONG: The think tank in the Meghalaya Police is of the opinion that most of the militant outfits in Garo Hills region have now disintegrating into small groups of petty criminals.
Police sources, on the request of anonymity, said on Tuesday that a large number of militants from different outfits in Garo Hills have either been arrested, killed or had surrendered in the past few months.
Stating that lot of desertions are taking place within the militant outfits in Garo Hills, the sources said that many cadres have deserted the GNLA and now with the killing of ASAK deputy commander Sengbath Shira, police is expecting similar desertions in ASAK as well.
However, police fear that desertions of militants from their outfits might lead to emergence of more numbers of small time criminal gangs which might lead to spurt in cases of kidnapping of small time traders.
Sources said that now the strategy of the Meghalaya Police is to sustain the counter insurgency operations and keep the militants on the run besides preventing kidnapping and extortions.
Police is also keen to involve the community so that they can facilitate more surrender of the militants.
