Mizoram Police seized a large cache of sophisticated arms, ammunition and other items from the state’s Lunglei district, which shares a border with unfenced Bangladesh, officials said.
Three persons – two residents of Mizoram, and one inhabitant of neighbouring Tripura, who were carrying the arms and ammunition in the car, were also arrested. They belong to the Chakma community.
An official said that acting on a tip-off, police intercepted a car at Lunglei Bazar in southern Mizoram and recovered two AK-47 rifles, five US-made M4 carbines, 20 magazines, 504 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, and 4,675 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition.
The police personnel also recovered Rs 49,550 in cash, some documents, SIM cards, ATM cards and five mobile phones. The arms-laden car was coming from Thenzawl in central Mizoram’s Serchhip district, which shares a border with Champhai district, a hotspot for smuggling of drugs, arms, ammunition and other contraband from Myanmar.