NEW DELHI, Oct 8: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a self-styled sergeant major of the NSCN (IM) group in connection with the killing of MLA Tirong Aboh in May this year, an official spokesman said on Monday.
37-year-old Ellie Ketok was arrested on Sunday from Nagaland’s Dimapur by a joint team of the terror probe agency and the Army, the spokesman said.
He said the accused was a part of the killing team, and actually fired on Aboh and others on 21 May this year.
The NIA had earlier arrested five persons – Sethok Kangnong, Napong Jenpi alias Jenpi, Jai Kishan Sharma, Luckin Mashangva and Yangte Josaham – in this case.
The Arunachal government had decided to hand over the case of the killing of Khonsa West MLA Aboh and 10 others by suspected NSCN (IM) militants to the NIA.
National Peoples’ Party MLA Aboh, his son, and nine others were killed when suspected NSCN (IM) militants opened fire at their vehicles near the 12 Mile area in Tirap district on 21 May.
The MLA along with his relatives was on his way to Khonsa from Dibrugarh in Assam when the attack happened.
The NSCN (IM) is in ceasefire with the Centre since 1997, and negotiations are on to resolve the decades-old Naga political problem.
A framework agreement was signed between the Centre and the NSCN (IM) in August 2015. (PTI)
