On a tip-off about the presence of GNLA cadres including its 'commander-in-chief' Sohan D Shira near Rongsu village, the police raided the area.
"Our police teams (including SF-10 commandos) conducted search operations around the forest areas around Chitmang Hills and Rongsu on inputs about the presence of Sohan D Shira. When approaching the suspected GNLA camp, our team came under heavy fire from the militants and we retaliated in self defense," said district police chief, Abraham T Sangma.
The exchange of fire between the police and the militants lasted for about 15 minutes after which the shooting stopped.
The police also seized AK 56 ammunition, GNLA id cards, GNLA flags, a laptop with charger, demand notes as well as various other camp materials from the site of the encounter.
The other GNLA cadres along with Sohan D Shira, however, managed to escape.