A top leader of the Assam-based militant outfit National Democratic Front of Bodoloand (AT) faction and four of his associates have been arrested here, a senior police official said on Friday.
They were arrested in Whitefield police station area on the basis of inputs received from central intelligence agencies.
The five are: B Jangila, alias Bakra, alias Beta, Upen Basumatary, alias Upenra (53), Samar Brahma (33), Uttam Kumar Basumatary (38) and Sanjay Singh Meitei (20), City Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari said in a press statement.
Jangila, an important member of the banned NDFB (AT faction), took shelter in Bengaluru three years ago. He was employed with various security agencies, the statement said.
"His associates are also suspected to be involved in terrorist activities in Assam. Their antecedents and activities are being verified and assistance of the Assam police has been sought," Bidari said.
The arrested will be handed over to the Assam police. Jangila joined NDFB in 2005 and had undergone training for five months in Bangladesh. He was sent back to Assam as a Guerilla Warfare cadre of the outfit and rose to the position of development-in-charge for the undivided NDFB in 2007. His task was to extort money and purchase arms for the outfit, the statement claimed.
During this period, he allegedly used to collect Rs. 5 lakh per month from contractors, political leaders, shopkeepers and tea estate owners and managers. His group was involved in the murder of a number of Bodo Liberation Tigers cadres, the statement said.
Jangila shifted base to Bangalore suspecting that the rival outfit would take revenge and kill him, Bidari said. He is a contemporary of senior NDFB leaders like Ratan Swargiary, alias Rwngowthi, finance secretary of NDFB (AT), Auzar and Jwnjkhwn, he said.