Aizawl: At least 460 foreign nationals, including 439 from Myanmar, have been arrested in Mizoram for various criminal activities over the past five years, police data reveals.
Between 2020 and May 2025, the state police registered numerous cases involving offences such as drug and arms trafficking, visa violations, theft, burglary, forgery, and child sexual abuse.
Among those arrested, 18 were from Bangladesh and three from other countries.
The data also highlighted a sharp rise in arrests after the 2021 military coup in Myanmar.
The highest number of foreign detentions—124—was recorded in 2022, followed by 106 in 2023 and 89 in 2024.
In the first five months of 2025 alone, 57 foreign nationals, including 53 Myanmarese, were taken into custody.
Drug-related crimes topped the list, with 185 Myanmarese nationals booked for smuggling narcotics.
Others were held for offences such as visa violations (66 cases), arms and explosives smuggling (43), theft and burglary (40), and nine cases each of murder and child sexual abuse.
Four Bangladeshi nationals were arrested under the Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act, while the remaining foreigners were booked under the Foreigners Act.
In total, Mizoram police arrested 15,673 people during the same period, which includes 14,432 locals and 781 individuals from other Indian states.
Of these, 1,666 were involved in drug trafficking, 254 were charged under the Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act, and 1,694 were booked under the Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition) Act.
Theft accounted for the highest number of cases, with 5,495 incidents and 3,704 arrests, followed by burglary with 4,686 cases and 2,917 arrests.
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The state has been grappling with a surge in narcotics trafficking, primarily from Myanmar and other Southeast Asian routes.
Police reports indicate an alarming increase in drug seizures: narcotics worth Rs.167.82 crore were seized in 2020, Rs.51.83 crore in 2021, Rs.43.43 crore in 2022, Rs.189.66 crore in 2023, and Rs.211.63 crore in 2024.
In just the first five months of this year, drugs valued at Rs. 106.56 crore have been confiscated.
Authorities have intensified their crackdown on cross-border smuggling and related crimes, which continue to pose a significant security challenge for the state.
