Shillong, Oct 14: Some cadres of the banned Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) are trying to re-group and revive militancy in Garo Hills, a police official said on Monday.

“Information from various sources indicated that some GNLA cadres along with other criminal and militant groups, like ULFA and Bangladeshi criminals are trying to re-group and revive militancy in Garo Hills, under the leadership of one senior GNLA cadre, Nikrak M Sangma alias Kaltush,” Superintendent of Police of South Garo Hills district, Abraham T Sangma said.

According to police, Nikrak M Sangma has been hiding in Bangladesh for several years and has been evading the law enforcement agencies.

However Nikrak was apprehended on Sunday afternoon by a specially constituted police team from Rongara area.

“He (Nikrak) had crossed over to India from Bangladesh and while he returning, he was intercepted by South Garo Hills Police team en-route to Bangladesh border,” the SP said.

Joined in 2011, Nikrak, who belonged to the 3rd batch of GNLA, crossed over to Bangladesh in 2015.

“Since, then he has been operating from Bangladesh and was supplying materials like uniform, weapons and ammunition to the GNLA, prior to the death of Sohan D Shira, the Commander-in-Chief of GNLA,” he said.

Sohan was killed by security force on February 24, 2018.

The SP said that while most of the active GNLA cadres have surrendered, Nikrak M Sangma however continued to stay in Bangladesh and indulged in anti-national activities like extortion, criminal intimidation and organising kidnapping of Indian nationals for ransom.

The SP also informed that arrested GNLA cadre was a wanted accused in several terrorism related cases in different districts of Garo Hills, including South Garo Hills.

Police have prayed to court to grant police custody to thoroughly investigate offences committed by him.