Assam: Huge arms consignment recovered

Agartala, Sep 4: Assam Rifles (AR) jawans recovered a huge cache of arms from the forest area along Tripura-Assam border in the northern part of the state following which police forces of both the states resumed joint counter-insurgency operations in the entire stretch.

Police said here today that acting on a tip-off, AR jawans along with Tripura and Assam police, launched search operations in Suknacherra forest near Chouribari checkgate on the Assam-Tripura border yesterday.

The security forces recovered five high-powered IEDs, one two-inch mortar, two pistols, a China-made carbine, one prismatic compass, a large quantity of live ammunition and some incriminating documents of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and Assam-based DHD(J) outfit.

Police believed that the arms were the leftover arsenals of the NLFT, which was trying to revive itself after a long period of disarray following internal dissension, and the jungles have a locational advantage as they were adjacent to the Indo-Bangladesh border.

''They used it as a dumping ground for arms and hideout of NLFT militants who cross over from Bangladesh after receiving training and procuring arms there,'' a senior police official said and informed that both the states had already stepped up patrolling along the border.

UNI