SILCHAR: Three days after nine cadres of Hmar People's Convention (Democratic) laid down their arms, the militant outfit's self-styled chairman was arrested. Lalminthan Sanate (56) was nabbed by police and the Assam Rifles troops in Cachar district late on Saturday.
"Tipped off about his presence, Assam Police and the Assam Rifles conducted a raid at Hmarkhawlien village with a predominant Hmar population and rounded up Sanate. A graduate from St. Anthony's College, Shillong, Sanate is wanted for murder, kidnapping, extortion, etc.," a senior official of Lakhipur police station in Cachar said.
Four .32mm pistols and 48 rounds of live ammunition were recovered from him. Sanate was arrested several times in the past from Cachar and Tezpur, the official added.
A front-line member of the anti-talks faction, Sanate was trying to mobilise HPC (D) cadres across Manipur and had spread the outfit's operations to Mizoram and Meghalaya as well. The group still has more than 200 cadres, police said.
"Sanate was in touch with terror outfits like IM, Ulfa, KIA, UNLF to procure ammunition from Myanmar. Despite several initiatives by the Mizoram government, he was reluctant to come for talks," the official said.
On December 21, nine cadres of the HPC (D) surrendered before police with their weapons including five rifles, two AK-47s, four pistols and 90 rounds of ammunition.
HPC (D) is an offshoot of the Hmar People's Convention (HPC), which came into existence in 1986 as a political party spearheading a movement for self-government in the north and northeast of Mizoram.
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