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AIZAWL, JULY 12: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday charged a chargesheet against five persons in relation to the seizure of a large stash of illicit arms and ammunition in Mizoram. The weapons were meant for United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF), a militant organization based out of Bangladesh’s Chittagong region.
The accused persons have been identified as Lalbiakchunga alias Divid alias David, Lalthawmcheuva alias Thawma, Malsawma alias Malsawma Loncheu, Rualliansanga alias Sanga, and Alok Bikash Chakma. The chargesheet was filed in front of a special NIA court in Aizawl. All five persons are charged with various laws, such as the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, the Arms Act, 1959, and the Foreigners Act, 1946.
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The weapons were being smuggled to improve the military strength of the UPDF’s armed cadres based in Bangladesh, says the NIA. The weapons were found in Saithah village in Mamit district of Mizoram. Seized cache included six AK-47 rifles, 13 magazines, and 10,050 ammunition rounds.
The Mizoram Police initially filed the case on January 15, 2025. Two months thereafter, the investigation was transferred to the NIA, and that led to an unraveling of a bigger cross-border conspiracy related to the smuggling of arms to a foreign militant organization. The agency has indicated that further probes are ongoing to find more connections and co-conspirators in the network of arms smuggling.
