Tura, June 24: A huge cache of ammunition, including live rounds of anti-aircraft ammo, hidden deep inside a jungle in East Garo Hills has been unearthed by police after a night of search operations on Monday.
East Garo Hills superintendent of police S A Rynjah said that the search and recovery operation took place based on intelligence reports about a hidden cache of illegal weapons left behind by a militant group. He did not rule out the strong possibility that it could be a part of hidden armament left by the GNLA outfit.
The search operation that commenced on Monday night at approximately 11:30 PM centered on the thick forests near Chikama village under Rongjeng police station.
After almost three hours of search, the police team headed by an additional SP found the hidden arms and ammunition buried deep inside the soil.
They unearthed 22 rounds of suspected anti-aircraft ammunition and another 13 numbers that had been damaged, 212 rounds of AK ammo, 52 rounds of 6.5 mm bullets, a country-made pistol, and multiple pellets. The seized items have since been brought back to district headquarters Williamnagar.
Police sources indicate that the primary suspect is the GNLA outfit as its late military chief Sohan D Shira was well known for concealing weapons and explosives in jungles across East Garo Hills. After his death in 2018, multiple recoveries of weapons buried deep underground have taken place from various parts of the region.
