Itanagar: The Assam Rifles and Arunachal Pradesh police arrested one Honrang Kongkang, a self-styled captain of the NSCN-IM from Khonsa, the headquarters of Tirap district on Saturday.
Kongkang was arrested from the Khonsa area following a joint operation launched by the security forces and local police since Friday. A pistol and live ammunition were also recovered from the insurgent, the Assam Rifles said in a press release.
According to the Assam Rifles, Kongkang (45) is a close associate of self-styled colonel Apem Tangkhul, NSCN-IM’s operational commander for Tirap district and he also has links with self-styled captain Sina Mophuk and self-styled major Victor Tangkhul of the same faction.
“The apprehended insurgent was involved in carrying out extortion activities and planning sabotage activities against the security forces. The insurgent also revealed the involvement of NSCN-IM in planning an ambush and IED attack against security forces in Sanliam village on October 21, 2020,” the release said.
An Assam Rifles jawan was killed after a patrolling party was allegedly ambushed by NSCN-IM militants near Sanliam village in Tirap on October 21 last year.
The NSCN-IM had, however, denied its involvement in the ambush while stating that “the media had simply given the report based on their own wild conjecture.”
The apprehended insurgent, along with the recoveries has been handed over to Lazu police station for further interrogation, the release added.
The Assam Rifles and Tirap police had last month arrested one Dowang Wangsa, a self-styled sergeant of the NSCN (IM) believed to be one of the masterminds in planning the Sanliam attack.
Wangsa was arrested from the Chasa village of Tirap district on October 27.
