Arms racket in N-E busted, 5 AK-56 seized

Guwahati: The Assam Rifles on Sunday busted a major racket of illegal arms along the India-Myanmar international border in a major breakthrough, and recovered at least five AK-56 rifles before it could be delivered to insurgent groups in Mizoram.

However, the arms suppliers managed to escape, security forces recovered the arms, which were thrown into the river. Assam Rifles acted on a tip off and had laid an ambush at the Farwan area where some arms dealers from Myanmar were supposed to come to deliver the consignment of arms, the defence spokesperson Lt. Col Suneet Newton said. He added that Assam Rifles had laid the same ambush four times in the past, but did not see the arms dealers turn up.

On getting information about the militants’ plan, the Assam Rifles on Saturday once again laid the ambush along Tyao river, which marks the border between India and Myanmar in Mizoram. On Saturday, they spotted the militants trying to cross the Tyao river. On being challenged by the security forces, the arms dealers threw their bags in the river and managed to run.

However, the troops carried out search operations in the river and succeeded in recovering the bag of arms. Informing that the arms were meant to be traded with Manipur-based insurgent groups, the defence spokesperson said that activities of insurgent groups operating from Myanmar had increased along the India-Myanmar border after the apprehension of eight Arakan Army Cadres in South Mizoram in December 2016.