Four arms suppliers to militant groups held in Meghalaya

NSCN(K) cadre Peirai Hao is suspected to be the kingpin of the arms supplying gang.

Shillong: At least four arms suppliers associated with two militant outfits were arrested in Meghalaya's West Garo Hills district, police said today.

While one of them is a cadre of the NSCN(K), the other three are associated with the proscribed Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA).

GNLA chief Sohan D Shira has inducted the three specifically to help smuggling arms from Dimapur for the outfit.

IG (Operations) G H P Raju said the four were arrested in an early raid yesterday in Tura whey they were getting ready to go to Dimapur for bringing arms and ammunition for the GNLA, he said.

The Nagaland based NSCN(K) cadre Peirai Hao, who was recently released from Tura jail, is suspected to be the kingpin of the arms supplying gang, he said.

From their possession, police have recovered 12 rounds of AK ammunition, a GNLA demand note and Rs 1.5 lakh cash.

The other three arrested persons were identified as Nobin D Sangma, Livingstone Ch Marak and Balgranj R Marak.

Police believe that Nobin used to go to Nagaland with his family members to smuggle weapons in his personal car to avoid suspicion and he had been able to befool the police this way on several occasions.

Nobin confessed to have brought two AK riffles three days back from Dimapur and delivered it to Sohan, the IG said.