[ Bengia Ajum ]
LONGDING, 4 Oct: In a major breakthrough, security forces led by the Assam Rifles (AR) arrested self-styled lieutenant colonel Botai Wangsu, a prominent leader of the NSCN (K-YA), from Dimapur in Nagaland.
He was arrested on 27 September from the Dimapur railway station and was initially handed over to the East police station in Dimapur, where they interrogated him.
He was brought to the Longding police station on Thursday on a police remand.
Wangsu was involved in several high-profile criminal cases in Arunachal Pradesh, including the kidnapping of Shashank Yadav, a junior engineer, and Liamgao Pansa, a supervisor of a construction firm, last year in Longding district. The AR arrested him along with his wife and two other insurgents.
Wangsu mostly operated from Myanmar, and there are conflicting reports about the reasons for his presence in Dimapur. While the security forces believe he came for extortion activities, the intelligence communities are of the view that he came for medical treatment on the advice of his wife.
Wangsu’s arrest is considered a big achievement as he was a key figure in insurgency and had long been involved in a series of violent activities, including murder, extortion, abduction, and many other cognitive crimes across Tirap, Changlang, and Longding districts.
The three districts are deeply affected by the presence of NSCN factions, making his arrest a significant step for the security forces.
The operation, which was the culmination of coordinated intelligence efforts, marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing crackdown on insurgent networks. Officials believe that Wangsu’s apprehension will cripple the operational strength of the NSCN (K-YA) in the region.
“The security forces expect that his capture will yield crucial intelligence that may lead to further arrests and dismantling of insurgent cells,” said an official.
