Jalpaiguri: Two hardcore Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) militants, who escaped from Bhutan during the recent Army operation, have been arrested in North Bengal's Jalpaiguri district, a senior police officer said today (Feb 9, 2004).

The two KLO activists, Sanjay Roy alias Shiva and his associate Lalit Roy, were nabbed last afternoon during raids at Changmari and Pukuri areas of Kumargram village in Jalpaiguri district, Superintendent of Police Siddhnath Gupta said.

Four AK 56 rifles, four magazines and 170 rounds of ammunition, all buried in the Raidak riverbed, were seized by the police after interrogating Shiva, the SP said.

The two KLO activists were among the 24 ultras who had been training at the Pipping camp in Bhutan before mid-December and were among the six militants who escaped from there, the SP said.

Twelve KLO ultras had surrendered to the Royal Bhutan Army following the operation launched against the Indian militant outfits from December 15 while four gave up to the West Bengal Police and two died in encounters.

The two KLO men arrested yesterday were among the six absconding ultras all dislodged from Pipping camp, the SP said, adding search was on to locate the four others.

Since the RBA operation, altogether 56 militants, based in different camps of Bhutan, have surrendered to the State police, Gupta said. He added 29 militants, based in several camps, were still at large.