By IANS,
Shillong: A Meghalaya minister has become the latest to receive an extortion demand from militant outfit, the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA).
In the extortion demand sent as mobile text messages, the GNLA threatened the minister and his family members with dire consequences if he failed to comply with their demand.
“I have received a number of text messages from the GNLA asking me to contribute to the organisation or face the consequences,” the minister told IANS Thursday, demanding that he not be named.
He said some Garo legislators too had received such text messages from the GNLA.
The GNLA had earlier slapped extortion demands ranging from Rs.5 lakh to Rs.1 crore, on petrol vend owners, coal dealers and businessmen in the coal-rich districts of Garo Hills.
A retired inspector general of police was among those who received the extortion note.
“We have registered a case, but did not hear about a minister or MLAs receiving such text messages,” Director General of Police S.B.Kakati told IANS.
Champion R.Sangma, a deputy superintendent of police turned rogue, is believed to be heading GNLA, whose cadres are deserters, mostly from the Achik National Volunteers Council (ANVC) and Liberation of Achik Elite Force (LAEF).
Chief Minister D.D. Lapang, while replying to a call-attention motion on Champion in the assembly Thursday, said all police stations were ordered to be on “maximum alert” and search for the missing police officer.
Opposition Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) member James K.Sangma said the police official, after serving for four years and becoming an assistant commandant of a police battalion, was still on probation. This may have led to frustration and made him decide to join the militants, he contended.
Police are hunting for Champion, but are yet to trace him.