Agartala, Feb 09: In a significant crackdown on illegal arms trafficking, a youth from Manipur was arrested in Tripura’s Khowai district while attempting to smuggle firearms and ammunition across the India-Bangladesh border.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs, a joint operation was launched by officials of the Customs Division, Agartala. The suspect, identified as 25-year-old Dangshua Mulji, was reportedly traveling on the Guwahati-Agartala Special train from Lumding to Agartala with a cache of illegal arms.

After hours of surveillance, a team comprising the Teliamura Customs Preventive Force and Agartala Divisional Preventive Force, led by the Deputy Commissioner of Customs, intercepted Mulji near border pillar no. 1963/11S at Singicherra in Khowai.
Four pistols (.32mm, Russian, American, and Indian-made models), 150 rounds of ammunition and five magazines were seized in the operation.

Following his arrest, the accused was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Khowai, and was remanded to judicial custody.

Authorities suspect Mulji’s involvement in a larger international arms smuggling network operating through Tripura’s border corridor. 
Security agencies have now launched a comprehensive investigation to identify other links in the trafficking chain and prevent further illegal arms movement in the region.