US-made arms, ammunition seized in Mizoram

Aizawl, March 20 (IANS) Assam Rifles troopers and Mizoram Police in a joint operation seized US-made arms and ammunition in Mizoram, police said here on Friday. One person was arrested in connection with the case.

The arms and ammunition were smuggled from Myanmar, a police official said.

"Seven US-made carbines, one AK-56 assault rifle and 500 rounds of ammunition have been seized on a road between Champhai and Zote villages (in Mizoram bordering Myanmar) on Thursday night," the official said.

He said: "The arms and ammunition were concealed in a plastic bag in a two-wheeler bearing no registration number. 38-years-old Thangdeihpianga, who was carrying these arms and ammunition, was arrested."

Thangdeihpianga told police that a Myanmarese national handed over the arms to him.

Police were yet to find out the destination of the weapons while the intelligence officials did not rule out the possibility of Bangladeshi rebels belonging to the Chakma tribal community being involved in the smuggling.

On several occasions earlier, huge number of arms were recovered and foreign nationals were arrested in different parts of Mizoram, which shares an unfenced international border of 404 km with Myanmar and 318 km with Bangladesh.