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A huge consignment of arms and ammunition meant for militant outfit Garo National Liberation Army was intercepted and seized by the Assam police at Gorchuk area on Saturday. The police also arrested six people including four GNLA members.
Guwahati city Senior Superintendent of Police Apurba Jibon Baruah informed that the consignment of arms and ammunition included one AK 74 assault rifle, one Berretta .32 pistol, 25 shells, 400 rounds of AK 74 ammunition, 500 rounds of 9 mm pistol ammunition, 20 rounds of ammunition of .32 Berretta pistol.
The consignment was being carried in a Maruti Zen by a supplier called Kongam Hongkhal and the car was driven by one Ritesh Basumatary. Four GNLA members including one Pintu Marak, brother in law of GNLA commander Sohan D' Shira, had came down to collect the consignment. All the six people were arrested by the police.
According to the police, the militant outfit procured the arms and ammunition from Myanmar. The consignment was being taken to Garo hills through Nagaland and Assam. The police stumbled upon the consignment during routine checking along the National Highway 37 at Gorchuk area in the city.
The GNLA is a Garo tribe insurgent group that has been on the rampage in the Garo hills areas of Meghalaya bordering Bangladesh. The outfit wants a separate homeland for the Garo tribe. The outfit has been involved in abduction, rampant extortion and occasional attacks on police personnel in the area.
Meghalaya police have launched an all-out operation against the outfit in Garo hill areas and several members of the insurgent group have been killed during the last six months.