TURA: East Garo Hills police have recovered a powerful Rocket Propelled Grenade along with a launcher and mortar projectile shells together with bullet proof jackets and pistols left behind hidden in jungle hideouts by deceased GNLA militant chief Sohan D Shira.
Garo Hills police have been conducting extensive searches for over three weeks in the Durama Hills and it’s adjoining jungles to retrieve hidden GNLA armaments left behind by the slain rebel chief.
The ongoing combing operations have in the last few weeks yielded a treasure trove of weapons and explosives stashed by the GNLA.
The latest recovery took place from hideouts near two villages across Simsang river, Bawe Duragre and Dorengkigre, on Wednesday.
With support from villagers police teams were able to recover the RPG with it’s launcher and four mortar shells from Dorengkigre forests. The weapon had been hidden along with the mortar shells and two pistols neatly sealed in plastic covering and concealed under a heavy undergrowth.
While the RPG is a powerful weapon capable of taking out troop carrier vehicles the 51 inch mortar shells can cause devestating destruction on the ground when fired from a launcher. Mortar shelling is primarily used by military units during ground battles to dislodge enemy positions and also to halt advancing troop movement.
Police are now on the lookout to locate the launcher.
The second recovery was outside Bawe Duragre village where the bullet proof jackets and bullet proof plates had been kept hidden inside a shed.
Police believe there are two more RPGs belonging to the GNLA that remain hidden somewhere in the jungle hideouts and are making efforts to locate them lest it falls into wrong hands.
Last year, Indian commandos launched a cross border raid into Myanmar and attacked a camp of the militant outfit NSCN-Khaplang faction after the Naga rebels ambushed an Assam Rifles Convoy in Manipur with RPG fire leading to the death of several soldiers.
