Assam Rifles recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition in Mizoram’s Champhai district near the Myanmar border, seizing rifles, mortars, grenades, and mines during a forest operation, reinforcing their efforts to curb cross-border smuggling and insurgent activity.
The Assam Rifles recovered a large cache of sophisticated arms and ammunition from Mizoram’s Champhai district, close to the India–Myanmar border, officials confirmed on Saturday.
According to a defence spokesperson, the operation was launched on Friday at Saikhumpai, a remote area in the Champhai district, based on specific intelligence inputs about illegal weapon movements. The area, known for being a major smuggling corridor, lies along the porous Indo–Myanmar border — a route often exploited for trafficking narcotics, arms, and other contraband.
The Assam Rifles, executing a well-coordinated and surprise search mission, conducted a prolonged sweep through the dense forest terrain. The meticulous search led to the discovery of a hidden underground cache containing a deadly assortment of weapons and explosives.
The recovery included six 60mm mortar tubes with base plates, two Myanmar-made 7.62mm assault rifles, three shotguns, two .22 rifles, and one hand grenade. Additionally, the team seized 45 live rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 15 rounds of 60mm mortar shells, two anti-personnel mines, and two radio sets with antennas, along with a charger.
No Insurgent Activity Detected During Follow-up Sweep
After the recovery, the Assam Rifles troops conducted an extensive area domination exercise in the surrounding forest to ensure no insurgent or underground groups were hiding in the vicinity. However, the follow-up operation did not reveal any signs of militant movement or camps nearby.
The recovered arms and ammunition were secured on-site and later handed over to the Mizoram Police for further legal action and investigation. Authorities are now trying to trace the origin of the seized weapons and identify the networks involved in smuggling these arms across the border.
A defence official emphasized that this operation once again highlighted the strategic importance of Assam Rifles’ border surveillance and its role in preventing the movement of illegal arms and narcotics from Myanmar into India.
“The Assam Rifles remains steadfast in its commitment to eliminating illegal arms networks and ensuring peace and security in Mizoram’s border areas,” the official statement said.
Myanmar Border: A Hotbed of Arms and Drug Trafficking
The 1,643-km-long India–Myanmar border, guarded by the Assam Rifles, spans across Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh. The lack of fencing along most parts of the border makes it highly vulnerable to cross-border smuggling of narcotics, arms, ammunition, and wildlife.
Particularly in Mizoram, the districts of Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual, and Serchhip share around 510 km of the frontier with Myanmar’s Chin State — a region notorious for serving as a smuggling hub for drugs, weapons, and other contraband materials.
Security agencies have repeatedly flagged the use of these border routes by organized smuggling networks and insurgent outfits operating in the Indo–Myanmar corridor. The recovered cache in Champhai adds to a growing list of similar seizures in recent months, underlining the continued challenge of curbing the flow of illegal weapons into India’s Northeast.
Boost to Counter-Insurgency and Border Vigilance
Officials noted that such recoveries play a crucial role in dismantling illegal arms supply chains that threaten regional stability. With the geopolitical volatility in Myanmar and the ongoing ethnic conflicts in border areas, Indian security forces have intensified patrols and intelligence-driven operations.
Experts believe that the flow of arms from Myanmar’s conflict-ridden Chin State poses a serious threat to the security dynamics in India’s Northeast, especially in states like Mizoram and Manipur where the borders are porous and the terrain difficult to monitor continuously.
| Also Read: Tripura baby saved after Complex Surgery for rare Birth Defect |
The Assam Rifles, India’s oldest paramilitary force, continues to maintain a vital role in guarding the Indo–Myanmar border, preventing illegal infiltration, and ensuring peace in the strategically sensitive Northeastern region.
Saturday’s successful operation once again underscores the force’s operational efficiency and commitment to maintaining national security along one of India’s most vulnerable international borders.
