Aizawl: Personnel of Assam Rifles and state police recovered a huge cache of ammunition and arrested three persons, including a senior citizen, in south Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district near the Bangladesh border.
An Assam Rifles official said that the paramilitary force has received input about cadres of the Kuki-Chin National Army (KCNA), an insurgent outfit active in Bangladesh Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), crossed the Indo-Bangladesh border under the disguise of immigrants.
They are suspected to be involved in the smuggling of war-like stores in the Lawngtlai district with the help of some locals, she said.
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A total of 1,008 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition, 2 rounds of 9 mm ammunition and one each round of UBGL40/46 mm ammunition and 38 spl ammunition were recovered during the operation on Sunday, she said.
Three persons identified as Joseph Lalnuntluang (48), Vanrothawna (58) and Dabibadah (75), all from Parva village in Lawngtlai district were arrested for possessing the ammunition, she said.
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The three accused suspected to be KCNA supporters were arrested while planning to hand over the ammunition to KCNA cadres sheltering at Hmambu or Bultlang village in the district, the official said.
Meanwhile, Assam Rifles also said in a statement that the smuggling of war-like stores in south Mizoram is an alarming increasing trend since the influx of immigrants from Bangladesh.
Bangladesh insurgent group movement has increased in India in the garb of immigrants, it said.
They are involved in the smuggling of war-like stores in Mizoram and pose a threat to internal security.
Assam Rifles is presently deployed in large numbers to safeguard the Indo-Myanmar border, the statement said.