Meghalaya police bust newly floated Khasi militant outfit, 7 including top leaders arrested

SHILLONG, AUG 16: Meghalaya police on Wednesday busted a newly floated militant outfit – National Liberation Council of Nongkyndong (NLCN) by arresting 7 of its members which include 4 top leaders.

The arrested also include a woman and a juvenile.

The arrest also came at a time when the peace talks with the proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), is in its advanced stage.

Based on credible intelligence input, an operation was launched and 7 terrorist gang members were arrested from different locations in the Eastern Range and one juvenile terrorist gang member was apprehended from East Khasi Hills, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Eastern Range) Davis NR Marak said.

The arrested persons and the apprehended juvenile include the self-styled chairman, commander-in-chief, general secretary and area commander West Khasi Hills, area commander of Jaintia Hills, recruiter and record keeper and 3 cadres, he said.

Marak also said that the NLCN was being formed in Eastern Range (Khasi and Jaintia Hills region) by the Khasi – Jaintia youths with the intention to wage war against the established government and to commit unlawful activities like procuring of arms and ammunition, extortion, recruiting armed cadres, training of armed cadres, establishing armed terrorist camps and conspiring to commit terrorist acts.

The inputs also indicated that NLCN had tied up with other militant outfits of Nagaland and was supposed to send the 1^st batch of cadres for armed terrorist training to Nagaland on August 17, 2023.

A criminal case has been registered at Crime Branch Police Station, Eastern Range, Shillong, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The known locations of these terrorist operatives were searched and several incriminating materials including mobile phones and other incriminating documents were recovered from their possession Marak said while informing that efforts to arrest the other members of NLCN is ongoing and the investigation of the case is continuing.

By Our Reporter