Mark Narzary after his arrest on Tuesday. Picture by UB Photos

Oct. 25: Government Railway Police today arrested an alleged arms supplier Mark Narzary alias Markos at the Guwahati railway station and seized a pistol and some ammunition from him.

The police alleged that Markos supplied arms to cadres of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (Progressive).

Markos, 31, had a 7.62mm pistol, 43 rounds of ammunition along with an identity card and a mobile phone.

Of the 43 rounds, according to a GRP official, only three rounds were for the 7.62 pistol and the rest were for the 7.65mm pistol. Markos said the pistol was manufactured in Myanmar.

According to the GRP official, Narzary was also previously arrested by Dispur police at Six Mile. “Markos was arrested in a similar arms possession case in 2007. However, we are yet to receive the case history from Dispur police station,” the official said.

The GRP made the arrest during routine patrolling at the station. He had boarded the Kamrup Mail from Dimapur yesterday and was on his way to New Bongaigaon. The train had arrived in Guwahati this morning.

The GRP official said, “He was on the S1 coach of Kamrup Express (down) at platform one. Our officials, while patrolling, chose to conduct a surprise check on him and the arms were recovered from his possession.”

The bullets were in two small boxes that were stuffed inside a soap case. The pistol was dismantled with one part packed inside a toothpaste pack and the other part in his clothes.

The identity card allegedly issued by the Nagaland government on July 2 this year gave wrong information regarding his identity.

Hailing from the Bamungaon area under Chirang district, Markos was abandoned by his fellow villagers in 2004 for his involvement in arms smuggling. Since then, the gun-runner has been residing in Dimapur and was involved in the coal business.

Asked about his involvement in the smuggling of arms, an agitated Markos said, “I don’t remember since when. Seems like I have been doing it from birth.”

The accused claimed that he had bought the arms and ammunition for Rs 1 lakh from Dimapur. At New Bongaigaon, he had to deliver the arms to another person, the GRP official said.

He, however, declined to divulge the recipient’s identity in the interest of investigation.

A case has been registered under the Arms Act.