A Myanmar national was arrested in Mizoram’s Siaha district after security forces seized a cache of 19 air rifles and 75,000 pellets during a joint operation, officials said on Saturday.
The operation was carried out by a team of the Assam Rifles and the Mizoram Police following specific intelligence inputs.
Security personnel set up a Mobile Vehicle Check Post at the Lungbun Police outpost in the Niawhtlang area to monitor movement along the route.
During the operation, the joint team intercepted a Tata Yodha vehicle driven by a Myanmar national.
A detailed search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 19 air rifles — including 18 NX200 (4.5 mm) and one PX100 (4.5 mm) — along with 75,000 pellets packed in 150 boxes of Excite brand.
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Officials also recovered several related accessories, including an air rifle telescope, a nitro piston, a spring for an air rifle, and a Redmi 15C mobile phone.
The driver was identified as Khar Lian, 36, a resident of Matupi in neighbouring Myanmar’s Chin State.
He was taken into custody, and both the accused and the seized items were handed over to Siaha Police Station for further investigation and legal procedures.
Mizoram shares a 510-km-long unfenced international border with Myanmar and a 318-km porous border with Bangladesh, making the state vulnerable to cross-border smuggling and illegal movement.
Officials said Myanmar’s Chin State is considered a major transit hub for the smuggling of narcotics, arms and ammunition, wildlife products, foreign cigarettes and areca nuts into India through several districts of Mizoram, including Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual and Serchhip.
