GUWAHATI: In continued operations against KPLT, security forces arrested five insurgents and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition following an encounter in Karbi Anglong district today, a defence spokesman said.
Based on leads provided by arrested Karbi Peoples Liberation Tigers (KPLT) insurgents, a joint team of army and police raided Lacheng area in Hamren sub-division.
Seeing the securitymen, the insurgents ran towards the forests from a hut firing indiscriminately, and the men in uniform retaliated, the spokesman said.
Five ultras were then arrested taking the count of hardcore KPLT terrorists apprehended so far by the Army's Red Horn Division in three days to 15.
The haul of arms and ammunition recovered includes one Universal Machine Gun, six AK series rifles, seven pistols, a grenade launcher, 10 pistol magazines, 16 magazines of AK-16, 2,490 rounds of AK rifle ammunition, 31 rounds of pistol ammunition and one Drum Magazine of UMG.
Almost the entire top leadership of KPLT has now been apprehended rendering the underground outfit incapacitated, the spokesman said.
KPLT 'commander-in-chief', 'deputy c-in-c' and 'area commanders' were apprehended and their camp in Amring forest near Tapat village in Hamren sub-division yesterday.
On Sunday, its 'finance secretary' and 'auditor' were apprehended from Hamren sub-division.
Earlier on February 10, KPLT's Chairman Donri Kramsa was apprehended from Parokhuwa Bazar near Dokmoka town in Karbi Anglong district.
The joint operation against KPLT was launched on the night of February 14, he said.
KPLT has been involved in the poaching of rhinos in the Kaziranga National Park in Golaghat district of the state.
A breakaway faction of the Karbi Longri National Liberation Front (KLNLF), KPLT was formed in 2011 with an objective to carve an Autonomous Karbi State out of Assam.