Acting on intelligence inputs, Swift Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) commandos of the state police raided a makeshift camp of GNLA. As the commandos approached the camp they were fired upon, the official said.
In retaliatory fire, one of the militants who was in the camp was shot dead and another got shot in his arms. The deceased has been identified as Kandem, known to be an expert in assembling improvised explosive devices (IEDs), Inspector General, Operations, G H P Raju said.
Kandem is suspected to have engineered the IED attack at a busy market in Williamnagar last week in which nine persons were injured, the officer said.
He was also responsible for the kidnapping of Jude Rangku T Sangma, a BDO in South Garo Hills' Chokpot last October and the most wanted armed cadre of the outfit, Raju said.
The GNLA, formed in 2010, has been active in all five Garo Hills districts and named in various cases of kidnapping, extortion and killing of both civilians and security forces.
Balmepa was a crucial link man for the GNLA who was being used to identify wine shop owners and members of the business community and pass on information to GNLA commander Jimmy for extortion and other threats, the police official said.
Balmepa would also collect gelatin sticks from mine owners using threat and pass these explosives on to the GNLA top commanders, he said.