Deputy of NSCN-IM leader involved in Tirap killings nabbed

ITANAGAR, JUL 15:

An area commander of the insurgent group National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) was apprehended along with arms and ammunition by a joint team of Army, Assam Rifles and Assam Police on Sunday.

The arrested rebel, self-styled major Anok Wangsa, is the NSCN-IM s area commander of Longding-Charaideo-Mon region.

Security forces said he was the deputy of self-styled NSCN-IM major general Absolom Tangkhul who was believed to be involved in the killings of Khonsa West MLA Tirong Aboh and ten others in Tirap on May 21.

Accompanied by his son, personal security officers and party workers, Aboh was travelling to Khonsa in Arunachal from Assam s Dibrugarh when the militants ambushed their vehicles. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is probing the case but the security forces sniffed the hand of NSCN-IM in the attack.

Anok was constantly threatening locals and demanding money from them. The local population has borne the brunt of this behaviour of NSCN-IM. Their cadres, in total contempt of ceasefire ground rules, are moving around outside their designated camps intimidating traders and contractors and continue to collect unauthorised money for personal gains of a few. The group has also attempted to disrupt peace in the neighbouring districts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, a defence statement said.

The operation was launched in the early hours of Sunday, which involved search of a designated area and laying of ambushes on suspected routes to intercept the movement of the cadre.

At around 3:30 am, one of the teams intercepted a vehicle which was moving on the Namtola-Jampan Axis and immediately identified and apprehended the individual. Search of the vehicle yielded concealed weapons and ammunition, the statement said.

The arrested rebel confirmed that he had hidden more weapons, ammunition and war like stores in his house located on Assam-Nagaland border, it added.

The security forces after carrying out detailed search of his house recovered large cache of arms, ammunition and war like stores which include one AK-56 Rifle, many pistols and more than Rupees five lakh cash.

The apprehension of the militant has been greatly welcomed by the locals of Mon (Nagaland), Longding (Arunachal Pradesh) and Charaideo (Assam), the statement said.