In a joint operation, the Assam and Nagaland police have arrested seven people, including two Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) cadres, a senior police official said Wednesday.
Five smugglers of illegal arms from Assam and Nagaland were also arrested in the joint operation late Tuesday night which led to the recovery of a cache of arms and ammunition.
The seized arms and ammunition included two AK 56 rifles with ten magazines, two shot guns, six .32 bore revolver with seven magazines, one grenade, a carbine magazine, one wireless set and 254 rounds of live ammunition.
"Based on specific information, the Assam Police have nabbed five people from Kshetri area near Guwahati late Tuesday night," said IGP (Central Western Range) of the Assam Police L.R. Bishnoi Wednesday and added that later, on the leads provided by the five, the Nagaland police arrested two others from Dimapur -- the commercial hub of Nagaland.
"The seven arrested people included two cadres of the outfit and a retired constable of the CRPF," said Bishnoi adding that the rest are involved in arms smuggling.
He said the arms and ammunition consignment was bound for the Garo militant outfit GNLA and meant to be delivered at Garo Hills from Dimapur through Guwahati.
"This is the fifth case of arrest of GNLA cadres from Assam this year and so far about 20 GNLA cadres were nabbed by the Assam police from various parts of the state during the months of March, May and June this year," Bishnoi said.
He also said that Guwahati is slowly becoming the second hub of arms smuggling in the region after Dimapur.
The IGP said the police were now investigating the links between the GNLA and other militant outfits of the northeast region like the ULFA, NDFB and the NSCN (IM).