india

Updated: Nov 02, 2019 00:37 IST

Two suspected militants of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland were gunned down by the police in an encounter after they allegedly opened fire in Assam’s Kokrajhar district on Thursday, officials said on Friday.

“Two armed persons died in the encounter with the police while two others escaped Thursday evening. We had information from a source that some people who claim to be from the NDFB(S) are engaged in extortion and will be visiting the village,” said TR Pegu, Additional Superintendent of Police, Kokrajhar, one of the four Bodo Territorial Area Districts.

The banned National Democratic Front of Bodoland’s faction led by B Saoraigwara is active in the area.

Pegu said the incident took place near Bosabil, a forest village close to the Indo-Bhutan border.

The police team had laid an ambush in a bamboo grove based on the tipoff and soon after it noticed four persons on two motorbikes approaching towards the village, Pegu claimed. “Since it was dark, the police directed the first bike to stop. They responded with a burst of fire. The police retaliated and later we found two persons were lying on the ground injured. They were taken to the hospital where they were pronounced brought dead,” said Pegu adding they are yet to be identified. “We are trying to ascertain their identity and if they belong to NDFB(S),” he said.

The police said they recovered an AK series rifle, ammunition and some “incriminating documents” from the spot. “The other two persons on the second motorbike managed to flee,” Pegu said.