More arms seized in Bodo belt

The weapons and ammunition recovered in Assam’s Chirang district on Wednesday night.

Kokrajhar, Sept. 21 : Illegal arms were seized from the Bodo belt for the third consecutive day today with security personnel recovering two AK-56 rifles, two magazines and 20 rounds of ammunition. This takes the number of weapons seized in the past three days to eight.

Police said a joint team of police and army carried out a search operation at Sonajuli village under Dhimakuchi police station in Udalguri district in the wee hours today following a tip-off and recovered the arms and ammunition, which were hidden in a gunny bag. No one was, however, arrested.

“This recovery has boosted the morale of security forces and enhanced the tempo of search operations in Udalguri district. The police and army are working together to recover more illegal weapons in the area,” a senior army official based at Borrangajuli in the district said.

The security forces had launched the operation to seize illegal arms and ammunition in the Bodoland Territorial Areas District after the recent riots in the two BTAD districts of Kokrajhar and Chirang and neighbouring Dhubri. The government issued the directive after reports surfaced that illegal arms had been used in large numbers during the violence.

The forces achieved first success on Tuesday evening with the recovery of four AK-56 rifles, four magazines and 65 rounds of live ammunitions from Simaluguri under Paneri police station in Udalguri district. They also arrested six persons — Deepak Boro, Utul Boro, Harita Boro, Janeshwar Boro, Vipul Boro and Navreshwar.

Two more AK-47 rifles were seized along with three magazines and 23 rounds of live ammunition from an arms dealer, Jayanta Barua, at Samtaibari in Chirang district last evening.

Chirang superintendent of police K.S. Krishna said they carried out the search operation based on information that a person was coming with arms from Guwahati in a vehicle.

He said Barua, who hails from Tinsukia district in Upper Assam, had brought the arms from Dimapur for supply in the BTAD area. Interrogations are on.