By Firstdespatch Desk Jan 26, 2025
The Assam Rifles and Mizoram Police jointly seized a large cache of explosives and arms in separate incidents in Mizoram, underscoring concerns over trans-border smuggling. Acting on intelligence, security forces intercepted a vehicle in Durtlang Leitan, Aizawl district, on Saturday night and recovered 7,000 electric detonators of various colors. A 34-year-old man, identified as Runmawia, was apprehended.
Officials suspect the detonators were being smuggled to Myanmar or Bangladesh. The confiscated items and the detainee have been handed over to Mizoram Police for further investigation.
This seizure follows another operation on January 18, when 30 gelatin sticks and 20 detonators were recovered from a vehicle near Aijal Club, Khatla Road. The driver, Hmingthansanga, 42, a resident of Hnahthial district, was arrested.
In a separate incident on January 15, Assam Rifles and Mizoram Police uncovered a large cache of arms and ammunition in Saithah village, Mamit district. The seizure included six AK-47 rifles, 10,050 cartridges, and 13 magazines, believed to be part of an illegal arms trade. The weapons were reportedly intended for transfer between the Chin National Front (CNF), an insurgent group in Myanmar, and the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF-P), active in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Five individuals, including a top leader of the CNF, were arrested in connection with the arms seizure.
The Assam Rifles guard Mizoram's 510-km unfenced border with Myanmar, while the Border Security Force (BSF) secures the 318-km boundary with Bangladesh. Despite stepped-up vigilance, these incidents highlight the persistent challenge of illegal trade through Mizoram’s porous borders.