Kohima, February 19 (MExN): 3 Assam Rifles under the aegis of Headquarters Inspector General Assam Rifles (North) apprehended five civilians, including NSCN (K) tax collectors, “over ground workers” and a printing press operator involved in printing of extortion slips, in Kohima on February 17, according to a press release from Assam Rifles. With this, the NSCN (K)'s "design to attain a foothold in Kohima received a heavy blow," the Assam Rifles claimed. 3 Assam Rifles was tracking the group over a protracted period of time and launched a special operation based on specific intelligence on February 17, it stated. The modus operandi followed by the “racketeers”, the release said, included printing of extortion slips at a printing press “which were distributed by tax collectors and over ground workers of the NSCN (K) faction to innocent civilians from whom money was subsequently collected by the same individual.” After apprehension of the persons, a series of raids were also carried out at places in Kohima where the extortion notes were served and duly signed extortion slips of NSCN (K) were recovered, the Assam Rifles alleged. The “racket” was working under a senior NSCN (K) cadre located in Dimapur, the release added. The manager of the printing press, the release said, confirmed that extortion slips and demand slips of all Naga political groups were printed in the press. “The confiscated computers also revealed the same,” it added. The apprehended persons along with all recoveries were handed over to OC, Police Station (South), Kohima on February 18, 2017.