Aizawl: The NIA has arrested a 54-year old arms and explosives ‘supplier’ of an international gang from Aizawl in Mizoram.
Sources in NIA said the investigating agency arrested Lalringsanga, a resident of Vaivakawn, in connection with the case of recovery of explosives at Tipa in Saiha district of Mizoram.
Lalringsanga has been accused of masterminding the smuggling of huge quantity of explosives and other accessories.
Security forces on January 21 this year, had recovered 2,421 kg of explosives, 1,000 detonators, 4500 metres of detonating fuse, Indian currency of Rs 73,500 and Myanmarese currency of 9,35,500 Kyat from a vehicle at Tipain Saiha district of Mizoram.
While three persons, including a Myanmarese national, were arrested along with the explosives, Lalringsanga’s name had surfaced during the investigation.
Initially, a case was registered at Tipa Police Station under section 5 of the Explosive Substance Act, 1908 and Section 14 of the Foreigners Act, 1946. Later, the NIA re-registered the case on March 21.
The NIA, during the investigation, found that Lalringsanga has been procuring arms and explosives from multiple locations, and have been supplying them to an end-user in Myanmar.
Though the NIA has not revealed details of the end-user of the arms and explosives consignments in Myanmar, it is being suspected that Lalringsanga has been sending the explosives to the cadres of Chin National Front.
The Chin National Front is a political organization of the ethnic Chin population in Western Myanmar. Its armed wing – the Chin National Army (CAN) is now fighting a bush war against the military regime in Myanmar.
NIA has already started interrogating Lalringsanga, and is corroborating the statements to crackdown on the arms and explosives network.