Assam now becomes a major transit route for supplying illegal arms used by several militant groups of north eastern region of India.
The Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) is using the Guwahati city as their main transit route, a high official sources of Assam police said.
“Nexus with the anti-talk faction group of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), the group is now collaborating with other militant5 groups of Nagaland and Manipur,” an official of Assam police said.
The militant group reportedly maintained contact with some local arms traders.
On Saturday, huge cache of arms-ammunitions was seized by the Guwahati city police in heart of the city from Myanmar to GNLA.
Police recovered one AK-74 rifle and grenade launcher with four magazines and 25 live shells, one berreta topket pistol with 20 rounds of live ammunitions, 500 live ammunitions of 9mm and 400 rounds of live ammunitions of AK-47 rifle from a Maruti Zen car.
Police also arrested six persons including two arms traders and a cadre of GNLA.
The nabbed GNLA cadre, who identified as Pintu Marak revealed tha he was in close contact with Sohan D Shira, the leader of GNLA.
Meanwhile,, the nabbed militants confessed that the firearms were procured from Myanmar and were delivered to the Garo militant group through Manipur, Nagaland and Assam.
“We had already discussed with Meghalaya police regarding the issue of illegal arms trade by the militsnt groups,” a police official said.
The militant groups also used some local youths by paying money for arms trade.
The Guwahati city police had arrested at least 20 militants from several militant groups in connection with illegal arms trade and recovered huge cache of arms-ammunitions in past 10 months.
