BSF apprehends Garo National Liberation Army linkman

SHILLONG: Acting on specific inputs, troops of the ex-50 battalion of the BSF deployed at the Maheshkhola border outpost in south Garo Hills district of Meghalaya apprehended one linkman of the recently outlawed Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) on Monday evening while carrying out a special operation.

The linkman, from Gadigiri village, was caught while infiltrating into Indian territory near border post 1188/2-S. He has been identified as Sonion Marak (32). The BSF troops recovered Bangladeshi currency (Taka 8,500), Indian currency (Rs 500) and one mobile phone with a Bangladesh sim card.

During preliminary questioning, Marak confessed that he was working with the GNLA and facilitating trans-border movement of GNLA cadres, an official at the Assam and Meghalaya frontier headquarters of the BSF here said. The apprehended person along with the seized items has been handed over to the concerned police station for necessary action.

Recently, BSF troops of stationed at Balughat in West Garo Hills recovered a bag containing heroine worth around Rs 2,50,000. BSF troops of Meghalaya frontier have been carrying out extensive operations on the border and apprehending militants, infiltrators and smugglers, a BSF spokesperson said.

In April, the BSF seized 688 bottles of phensedyl, 500 norphine injections and 1,535 bottles of liquor from the bordering areas. Besides, the troops also apprehend 11 smugglers, out of which seven were from Bangladesh and three from India. The BSF is taking all efforts to check smuggling of drugs and any other cross-border crime, the spokesperson iterated.