Kolenchery: A well-orchestrated covert operation helped Kerala Police nab three suspected Bodo militants from Mannur near here in Ernakulam district.
Police took into custody B Mehar, aka Manu Basumataray (25), Pritam Basumataray (24), and B Dalanj, aka Dhumkethu Brahma (35), all hailing from Kokrajhar district in Assam, for suspected links with the proscribed National Democratic Front for Bodoland.
Police traced the men to a plywood factory, where they were employed, following a tip-off that they were residing near Perumbavoor. Early Thursday morning, a group of police in plainclothes reached the factory premises in a pick-up auto rickshaw in the guise of collecting wood.
The operation was meticulously and carefully planned as the trio had received combat training, and police personnel, both in uniform and plainclothes, were deployed around the factory for surveillance.
The trio were arrested after a police team entered the factory and questioned the workers in guise of screening them for malaria. The arrested workers seldom interacted with their colleagues but completed their allotted work efficiently, and they used to go out only sparingly. Police are thoroughly checking the arrested men’s identity cards, and also finding out whether people with similar shady background are staying in the region.
The local residents came to know about the gravity of the situation only when the arrested men were shifted to Kunnathunad police station. The operation was headed by Perumbavoor DySP G Venu and Kunnathunad CI J Kuriakose. The SIs of Kunnathunad, Perumbavoor and Kodanad police stations were also part of the team.
