Police seized two AK-56 rifles from a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) from the Mohanbari bypass at Assam’s Dibrugarh and arrested three occupants of the vehicle on Thursday.
The three persons, including two women, were arrested for transporting illegal weapons.
The trio, all residents of Arunachal Pradesh, was identified as 48-year-old Badrul Alam, the owner of the seized vehicle (AS-23-N-0173), 48-year-old Akuyu Yobin and 36-year-old Sayunu Yobin.
Alam, who claimed to be an ex-serviceman of Assam Rifles, is a resident of Jairampur while the two women are residents of Gandhigram at Vijoynagar in Changlang district.
The vehicle coming from Dimapur in Nagaland was en route to Changlang when it was intercepted by a joint team of Assam police, Arunachal police and CRPF’s 171 Batallion at Mohanbari at around 9.45 am on Thursday.
“It was a joint operation by Assam police, Arunachal police and CRPF. We had credible information that a vehicle carrying illegal arms and ammunitions will be arriving. We set up police nakas at various exit points of the town and managed to intercept the vehicle,” said superintendent of police, Dibrugarh, Subashini Sankaran.
“Two AK-56 rifles and some other materials were recovered from the vehicle. The three occupants including 2 women have been arrested. We are trying to find the trail of the seized weapons, from where it was procured and meant for whom,” Sankaran said.
Among the other items recovered from the vehicle were two magazines of AK-56, four magazine pouches, 15 rifle slings, one khukri (dagger) and two bags of local herbal medicines.
The trio has been booked under various sections of the Arms Act.
The police are also trying to verify the antecedent of Badrul Alam, who has claimed to be an ex-serviceman.
