Shillong: A cache of AK rifles meant for
rebel groups in Assam was seized by Meghalaya Police and three
suspected arms dealers arrested on the outskirts of the state
capital, police sources said on Sunday.
Acting on a tip-off, a gypsy was intercepted by Ri Bhoi
District police near Barapani Lake, about 17 km from Shillong
late last night.
Eight AK rifles were found below the seat cavities, a
senior police officer said.
There was a mix of AK47 and AK56 rifles, most of which
were disassembled to make it easy to carry, the said.
The arms were coming from Piew town of Mizoram bordering
Myanmar.
They were to be delivered either to the ULFA or Karbi
rebels somewhere on the borders of Meghalaya and Assam's Karbi
Anglong district.
Interrogation of the three suspected arms dealers from
Mizoram suggests that they had ferried consignments of arms on
the route for militants groups in Assam and other Northeast
states in the past.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, June 19, 2011, 14:38