TURA, June 30: An AK-81 assault rifle and several rounds of live ammunition were seized from a man in a village across the Simsang river near Williamnagar, East Garo Hills, on Wednesday.
According to Williamnagar Police, they had obtained specific information that a man with militant antecedents had unearthed a hidden AK-81 rifle from one among many hidden by former GNLA militants.
Operations were launched during the early-morning hours at Sampalgre village, just across Williamnagar town, and they were able to arrest a man identified as Baley D Shira, alias Bersly, from the village and from his possession they confiscated the rifle along with 36 live rounds of ammunition.
The vast Durama Hills that overlook Williamnagar town of East Garo Hills was once the base of slain GNLA chief Sohan D Shira.
He is known to have left behind a treasure trove of heavy weaponry and explosives buried underground at many places.
Though police have managed to recover a considerable number of the hidden assortment of weapons, there still remains many more undetected and fear is of former militants getting their hands on the guns and returning to the jungles to begin another armed revolt.
