Six insurgents of ULFA’s anti-talk faction were apprehended with arms and ammunition by a joint Army and Meghalaya police team in Meghalaya along Assam border, a defence officer said in Guwahati on Wednesday.
In a joint operation by Army Camp Lakhipur under the aegis of Red Horns Division and Meghalaya police, the six militants of Paresh Baruah-led anti-talk ULFA faction were nabbed at Pedaldoba in West Garo hills late Tuesday night.
The joint operation was launched following a tipoff and the ultras were apprehended before they could execute their plans to carry out extortions in neighbouring Goalpara district of Assam, the officer said.
The militants on seeing the security personnel tried to flee but were caught in a hand to hand to combat.
Six pistols, 20 rounds of live rounds of ammunition, two hand grenades and a car in which they were travelling were seized from them, he said.
The rebels were handed over to the police and later confessed their plans of extortion in Goalpara district.
Even though Meghalaya has not been declared as a disturbed area, as per the Armed Forces Special Power Act operational in Assam, the Army has a mandate to operate in Meghalaya in an area within 20 km of the Assam-Meghalaya border, the officer added.
When contacted acting West Garo Hills police superintendent Brono Sangma told PTI over phone that the grenades were China-made and the arms and ammunitions were meant to be handed over to militant groups of Garo Hills in Meghalaya.
