Aizawl: Police in south Mizoram’s Hnahthial district, bordering Myanmar, seized seven AK assault rifles and 2,050 rounds of live ammunition and arrested three people, including a Myanmar national, near Thingsai village along the Mizoram-Myanmar border on Monday, police sources said on Tuesday.Police said personnel from Thingsai police station acted on specific intelligence and intercepted a car at the Tuiphai river bridge. The vehicle, bearing a Lunglei district registration, was travelling from Cherhlun village towards Lunglei town. Cherhlun village is located along the Myanmar border.Those arrested were identified as Lalruatfeli (42) of Lunglei Chanmari-3; Lallunghnema (30) of Leisen, Chin State, Myanmar; and the driver, Mesak Lalvensanga (27) of Cherhlun. They were detained at Hnahthial police station for questioning.Police said the accused have been booked under Section 25(1AA) of the Arms Act, 1959, read with Section 14A of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. A case has been registered at Thingsai police station.The accused were produced before a district court in Lunglei on Tuesday, as Hnahthial, a newly created district, does not have a district court.Police said the suspected smugglers were allegedly attempting to sell each AK rifle for Rs 5 lakh and each live round for Rs 500, putting the total value of the seizure at Rs 45.25 lakh.While the intended destination of the consignment is still being ascertained, a senior police officer said the involvement of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS), a Chakma outfit operating in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts, could not be ruled out, citing an earlier arms seizure in Lunglei linked to smuggling routes.
