The arms dealer Jackuish A Sangma was moving in a Maruti Alto car in Araimile locality here when police stopped his vehicle and arrested him. They recovered a 9 mm pistol with one magazine containing six live rounds from him.

He was the main ring leader behind a string of extortion cases in and around Tura. He had collected large sums of money from traders and did not spare even government officials and petty businessmen.

Police said that the arrested arms dealer was a close confident of GNLA army chief Sohan D Shira and was involved in the recent incident in which an AK rifle fitted with a grenade launcher and Beretta pistol for personal use of the militant chief that was being moved. He was intercepted at Gorchuk in Guwahati on June 3. He had been absconding since the arrest of his men by Assam police.

Jackuish Sangma was arrested on November 23, last year, with two other members of the GNLA, Bappun A Sangma and Harding M Marak, from Polo in Shillong. Bappun happens to be a Youth Congress member while Harding was a driver.

Based on their confession, Shillong police raided a city hotel and arrested three arms dealers from Nagaland and seized Rs 11.49 lakhs from their possession.