AIZAWL, July 12: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against five individuals in Mizoram for their alleged involvement in supplying a large cache of prohibited arms and ammunition to a Bangladeshi militant outfit. The accused have been charged with conspiring to arm cadres of the United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF), an insurgent group based in the Chittagong region of Bangladesh.
The five accused — Lalbiakchunga alias Divid/David, Lalthawmcheuva alias Thawma, Malsawma alias Malsawma Loncheu, Rualliansanga alias Sanga, and Alok Bikash Chakma — have been named in the chargesheet filed before a court in Aizawl. They face charges under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the Arms Act, 1959, and the Foreigners Act, 1946.
The case was originally registered by Mizoram Police on January 15, 2025, before being handed over to the NIA two months later. During its investigation, the agency unearthed a wider criminal conspiracy involving cross-border arms smuggling.
According to the NIA, the accused were involved in supplying six AK-47 rifles, 13 magazines, and a staggering 10,050 rounds of live ammunition to the UPDF. The weapons were recovered from Saithah village in Mizoram’s Mamit district, close to the India-Bangladesh border.
The NIA stated that further investigations are ongoing to uncover additional links in the cross-border arms smuggling network and identify other operatives involved in the supply chain.
