Five GNLA rebels held

today in North Garo Hills district of Meghalaya allegedly while extorting money from a person at Resubelpara, the district headquarter, the police said.

On a tip off that two cadres of the Garo Hills based outfit had gone to a house to collect money they had demanded from a person, the police laid a trap and nabbed the two.

Following their interrogation, three other workers of the outfit were later arrested, the sources said.

One of the arrested was the main accused in the killing of D G Momin, an assistant school teacher at the MP High School, Resubelpara on July 19.

The GNLA had accused Momin of working as an informer of the police, but police had denied this.

The GNLA is fighting for a separate state for Garo tribals inhabiting five western districts of Meghalaya. The Centre had announced it as a terror organisation in January.