By Indo-Asian News Service, IANS
Guwahati : Three surrendered militants were shot dead by separatist guerrillas of the outlawed United Liberation front of Assam (ULFA) in the jungles of Arunachal Pradesh, police officials said Tuesday.
A police spokesman said an ULFA hit squad trailed the three former comrades and shot them dead near Deobil village in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh, bordering Tinsukia in eastern Assam.
“There was probably an encounter between the two sides as weapons were found with the dead militants,” a police official in Lohit district told IANS over the telephone.
The three dead bodies were recovered by police Monday, all of them lying in a pool of blood inside a car.
“Villagers heard gunshots but did not dare to go and see what was happening. We were informed later by some locals and we found the three surrendered ULFA militants killed,” the official said.
The dead include Srimanta Chetia alias ‘Chinese’, a surrendered ULFA rebel allegedly acting as a spotter for the army in its operations against the outfit in the dense jungles of Arunachal Pradesh.
The ULFA have set up bases in Arunachal Pradesh with their cadres operating out of temporary camps in the state.
“‘Chinese’ was a very useful guide for us and probably this could be the beginning of a new chapter in Assam when the ULFA could be targeting surrendered rebels,” an army commander said on condition of anonymity.
The ULFA in recent months have faced heavy reverses with more than 120 cadres, including several senior leaders, surrendering before authorities. A number of their leaders were also arrested or killed in the same period in continuing anti-insurgency operations in the state.