Reported by Avik Chakraborty
Dibrugarh: Security forces apprehended an armed cadre of the NSCN(Khango Konyak) faction and an overground worker (OGW) during an operation in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district, officials said on Thursday.
The arrested persons were identified as Kamnong Pangtha and Gopang Negimu.
According to officials, Assam Rifles launched an intelligence-based operation on April 28 in the Rima–Putok Circle following specific inputs about the presence of an OGW in contact with an armed Naga extremist affiliated to the NSCN(Khango Konyak) faction.
During the operation, security forces apprehended Pangtha, identified as a member of the outfit, along with Negimu, a Changlang-based OGW.
Officials alleged that both were involved in extortion activities and recruitment of local youths into insurgent groups in Changlang and Jairampur areas.
Further investigation revealed that the OGW was allegedly attempting to facilitate the defection of cadres from the NSCN(Khango Konyak) faction to the NSCN(Angmai) faction in the Rima–Putok Circle to strengthen the latter’s cadre base and operational influence in the region.
The two accused, along with the seized items, were later handed over to the local police for further investigation.