Diphu, Dec 17: Jackson Ronghang, the self-styled chairman of newly formed insurgent outfit Karbi Democratic Liberation Front (KDLF), which was allegedly involved in the recent abduction of three construction workers, was killed in an encounter with the police in Assam's Karbi Anglong district on Friday, a senior officer said.
Additional Superintendent of Police Prakash Sonowal said that one person, identified as Amarjyoti Terang, was recently arrested from Rongmonwey in connection with the kidnapping of three workers from the construction site of a bridge in the village on December 10.
Following his interrogation, three persons suspected to have been involved in the abduction were identified and one of the hostages was rescued, while the remaining two construction workers are yet to be traced, he said.
Acting on a tip-off about the presence of Ronghang in jungles near the village, police launched a search operation in the area, Sonowal said.
During the search operation, a massive gunfight broke out between the police and the militants in the morning in which Ronghang received bullet injuries. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.
A pistol, several cartridges and some documents were seized from the possession of the slain militant, the officer said. The KDLF was formed earlier this year, even as six insurgent outfits from the two hill districts of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao have entered into peace talks with the state government.
