Nagaland Election trail heats up; supporters held with cash, arms

JORHAT/KOHIMA, February 20 (agencies): Police arrested five armed Naga men from the Deberapar area under Mariani police station in Jorhat district and seized two pistols, 13 rounds of live ammunition and cash worth Rs 35,000 from them.

The arrested were identified as AsangInjeng, MirengInjeng, TussungInjeng, Chened Ayer and AlengLongkumar. They were produced at a court in Jorhat on Tuesday.

Police said they were arrested in a regular checking by police and CRPF at Deberapar Chariali at midnight. They were on their way to Nagaland when police and CRPF personnel arrested them.

"We arrested the five at Deberapar Chariali at around 12.30 am on Tuesday. They were travelling from Mokokchung to Chairmanbasti in Nagaland,'' officer-in-charge of Mariani police station Padma Kanta Das said.

He added that the five confessed that they were the supporters of an independent candidate contesting the upcoming Nagaland assembly polls.

"During interrogation, they disclosed that a group of NSCN militants were threatening them and thus they were carrying arms for their personal security,'' he said.

The Assam Rifles has also recovered caches of huge cash across various locations in the state. During a routine check Mr. Tangthusenju Sangtam , allegedly a NPF worker, was caught with Rs. 1.5 Lacs in cash at Sampurre under Kiphre dist.

In another incident a Maruti Gypsy (NL-03- 0483) was intercepted in Shamator and Rs. 4.03 lakhs were recovered in cash from the occupants namely M Shophu, M Kilungba,Yimto,Toshi and Akngal. The recovered cash and the Individuals have been handed over to the ADC and Police Officer at Shamatore according to a press release from IGAR Kohima.

S/s col Supo Meren of NSCN –IM, from Hevito Battalion located in New Chungtia was apprehended with Rs. 2.8 Lacs in cash by the troops of Assam Rifles while he was allegedly extorting money from locals. Extortion slips and several other incriminating documents were also recovered from his possession. He has been handed over to the police station at Tuli along with the recovery.

Meanwhile, a bomb blast close to Dimapur railway station in poll-bound Nagaland killed one person on Wednesday morning, police said.

According to agencies, Pradeep Thapa was going on his bike near the station when the bomb planted on the roadside suddenly went off killing him on the spot at 8 am.