Morung Express News
November 8
DIMAPUR: Former Director General of Police (DGP) Hesso Mao today succumbed to the bullets of assassins after he was shot at by unidentified gunmen inside his New Police Reserve Residence Kohima at around 4:00-4:30 pm. Despite efforts made by doctors, he passed away late this evening at Bethel Medical Centre, Kohima.
According to information received it was learnt that five or six persons had come in a white colored ‘soft top’ gypsy bearing registration number NL-01C-1040. All of them were reportedly attired in black overcoats. Three of the miscreants reportedly entered the residence and confronted the former DGP before shooting him below the heart with an M-20 Chinese made pistol. He was rushed to the Bethel Medical Centre where he succumbed to bullet wounds.
According to family sources the miscreants had demanded from the former DGP a sum of Rs 10 lakhs while identifying themselves as cadres of the NSCN (K). The gunmen reportedly confronted the former DGP on an incident which occurred some years back when a police operation was conducted at Thizama, Kohima district under the command of the former DGP following the looting of a large sum of money meant for government salary. During this encounter, one NSCN (K) cadre identified as Lt Michael Angami of Touphema village was killed. Both the police and family sources are not ruling out this as one of the possible reasons for today’s dastardly act.
Later, speaking to The Morung Express NSCN (K) officials at the Ceasefire Supervisory Board Office in Mon did not claim responsibility for the killing of Hesso and said that it had not instructed any of its cadres to carry out any such operation. A high ranking official however disclosed that Hesso had a “past mistake with the organization” and mentioned about the Thizama operation carried out under his command.
Meanwhile, SP Kohima has been officially assigned the task of investigating today’s incident. Further all the district headquarters have been alerted and a search has been launched to nab the killers. The police and army personnel in Kohima immediately sealed off the State capital and started combing operations. Raids were conducted at several places in Kohima.
