In one of the biggest arms hauls in recent times, Mizoram police seized 19 AK-47 assault rifles along with 12 magazines and 8,307 rounds of live ammunition from insurgents and arms smugglers near Aizwal on Saturday, police sources said on Sunday.
The sources told PTI that two militants belonging to Dima Halam Daoga (DHD) and six former Bru Liberation Front of Mizoram (BLFM) militants, who were trying to rearm themselves, were arrested in this connection besides, an arms smuggler from Myanmar and a local vehicle owner.
He said that the six former BLFM cadres led by its former communication secretary Lalthazuala were frustrated due to the Centre's failure to release funds for their resettlement and were intending to regroup and restart arms insurrection.
"Self-styled 'Lieutenant' Phaijen Langthasa and 'private' Paul Dutta of DHD were also working together with the former Bru rebels to procure arms from Aizawl," he said.
"Police also confiscated Rs 9,84,000 in cash meant for the purchase of arms from Aizawl," he said.