LONGDING, 9 Jan: One member each of the NSCN (IM) and the NSCN (U) were apprehended during a joint operation carried out by the police and the 6th Assam Rifles here on Thursday.
The apprehended operatives are self-styled (SS) 2nd Lt Panpho Pansa (30) of the NSCN (IM) and SS private Pegang Gangsa (23). Both are residents of Votnu village in Pongchau circle of Longding district.
According to the police, the operation was launched at 7:50 am, following receipt of specific input about the presence of the two operatives in the area.
The police informed that SS 2nd lieutenant Panpoh Pansa was recruited into the NSCN (IM) in 2007, while SS private Pegang Gangsa was recruited into the NSCN (IM) in 2018 and later defected to the NSCN (U) in 2019.
The duo was involved in threatening and extorting several village leaders, traders and shopkeepers in the district
A case [u/s 384 IPC r/w Section 10/13 UAP Act and 25(1) Arms Act] has been registered at the Pongchau police station.
Two .32 mm pistols made in China, three live rounds, two smartphones and cellphones containing several contact numbers of outfits have been recovered from their possession.
An NSCN (K) insurgent surrendered before the district administration and the police here on 7 January.
Twenty-eight-year-old Laigang Chingkedam, of Khasa village in Pongchao circle, surrendered before CO Taya Yullu, in the presence of Longding DSP Banghang Tangjang, at a formal surrender ceremony held at the DC’s office here.
He brought him with a discharge certificate from the organization.
The surrendered insurgent said he had been forcibly recruited into the NSCN (K) in 2008. Though discharged from the group six years ago in 2015, he was apprehensive about the formal surrender as he did not have proper documents. He finally decided to surrender after effective counselling from the local police and relatives.
On being asked about the reason for his surrender, Chingkedam said that he wanted to relinquish the path of violence and therefore made up his mind long back to surrender.
Welcoming him to the mainstream of the society, Yullu cautioned Chingkedam against going back to the path of violence again.
A surrender certificate was also handed over to him. (DIPRO)
