Mizoram: Big cache of explosives, war-like stores seized in Lawngtlai

Aizawl: Days after a huge cache of weapons and explosives were seized near Aizawl, security forces and state police on Wednesday seized explosives and other war-like stores near Mizoram southernmost Lawngtlai town near the Myanmar border, Assam Rifles said in a statement on Thursday. 

The operation was carried out at two different locations on Wednesday based on specific operations, the statement said. 

During the search, the Assam Rifles and state police recovered 139 gelatin sticks, 149 detonators and 43 meters of cordex, it said.

Two persons were apprehended in connection with the recoveries, it said. 

The two accused along with the recovered explosive and war-like stores were handed over to the state police for further investigation, the statement added. 

Earlier on Sunday, Assam Rifles and state police had recovered huge cache of weapons and warlike stores near Kelsih village in Aizawl district, about 19 km from the state capital Aizawl.

During spot checking, the operation team recovered three pump action shotguns, five number of (point) .22 rifles, seven telescope sights, 20 boxes of air pellets, 3000 kilograms of explosive (gelatin), 2000 metres of safety fuse and 100 kilograms of gunpowder from two vehicles. 

Four persons had been arrested in connection with the recoveries. 

Meanwhile, police said that sustained interrogation of the four accused and further investigation into the case, has led to the recovery of  another 103 boxes of gelatin (each box containing 200 sticks) from a godown in Aizawl on Monday. 

The godown belonged to one of the four accused, police said. 

They said that investigation is still on and it is yet to establish any Myanmar’s link. 

Highly placed sources said that many weapons and war-like stores have been recovered in Mizoram after a military coup and the subsequent civil disobedience movement in Myanmar. 

The recoveries are more or less linked to the Myanmar political crisis, it said. Mizoram shares a 510-km long international border with Myanmar.

Thousands of people from Myanmar are now taking shelter in the state following the military coup in February last year. 

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