Aizawal: Four persons, a captain of the Assam Rifles (AR) and three militants of a Myanmar-based insurgent outfit were killed in an encounter between the two sides at Vaphai hamlet near the Mizoram-Myanmar international border, police said today (Dec 12, 2004).

Unconfirmed reports from the area put the casualty figure at five, including a coolie of the AR.

Champhai district police super F Lalhuliana told sources in Aizawal over phone, "In the encounter Captain Sanjay Kumar, AR commander of Khawbung outpost was gunned down by Chin Integration Army (CIA) yesterday (Dec 11, 2004)". The CIA, led by Ngunuklian also suffered casualties with three of its militants killed, he said.

He, however, could not provide details of the encounter as he had not received them but said there were reports of the killing of only one-security personnel - the captain.

The CIA, which indulges in extortion in the border areas, were armed with sophisticated weapons like AK-47 assault rifles and US made M-16 rifles and numbered about 15.

"We still did not know whether the insurgents ambushed the AR patrol as the State police no longer visit the areas due to operations being launched by the AR against Myanamarese insurgent groups like the Chin National Army", he said.

The AR captain's body was flown from Khawbung village by helicopter to Aizawal today.