Itanagar, March 28 (PTI): A high-level NSCN-IM militant was arrested in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, police said on Monday. Semley Hakhun, who held the post of 'kilonser' (minister) in the militant outfit, was arrested on Friday, Inspector-General of Police (Law and Order) Chukhu Apa said at a press conference here. He was arrested with assistance of the Assam Police, he said.
"Acting on intelligence inputs, our team reached Tinsukia in Assam on March 25 and managed to trace Hakhun's hideout. He was later arrested by the team with the support of the Tinsukia Police," Apa said. "Two mobile phones, Rs 2.18 lakh in cash, and three sim cards were recovered from him," he said.
At least two cases of extortion and criminal intimidation, one each at the Changlang and Itanagar police stations, are registered against the militant, he added.
"One of the most wanted insurgents, Hakhun was responsible for major extortion activities on behalf of the NSCN-IM in Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts," Apa said.
A native of Wanrok village in the Sagaing region of Myanmar's Kachin state, Hakhun joined the NSCN-K in 1986, and then the NSCN-IM in 2013 where he was elevated to the post of a "Tatar" (member of parliament). He currently holds the post of 'kilonser' (minister). Hakhun is being interrogated and he has so far revealed crucial information about the organisational structure and the activities of the NSCN-IM leadership, the police officer said. "It is obvious that he was not working alone and several others are involved in the extortion activities. We are trying to find these out," Apa said.
Two NSCN (IM) cadres have been arrested in Assam's Tinsukia district and a civilian rescued from their custody, a defence official said on Monday.
In a statement, Defence PRO Lt Col Angom Bobin Singh said that the troops of the Red Shield Division under Spear Corps apprehended two active cadres of the outfit from Tinsukia railway station on Sunday.
"They were involved in a firefight with the Digboi Battalion on Mar 23, 2022 in Longpha, Arunachal Pradesh," he added.
Security forces also rescued a civilian from their custody and prevented a "subversive action" in upper Assam and south Arunachal Pradesh by the outfit, Singh said.
"On questioning, the cadres revealed a location... and a search operation was launched which resulted in recovery of two 5.56 mm HK-33 Rifles along with three magazines, 283 rounds, one hand grenade, two IEDs and other war-like stores," the statement said. Both cadres and the civilian are residents of Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, it added.
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from news agency feeds and has not been edited by The Morung Express.
Source: PTI
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