The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charge-sheeted five accused in a case related to the seizure of “prohibited arms and ammunition” in Mizoram meant for supply to a Bangladeshi militant group.

The NIA, in a statement on Saturday, said the five accused — Lalbiakchunga, Lalthawmcheuva, Malsawma, Rualliansanga and Alok Bikash Chakma — were on Friday charged under relevant sections of the BNS, 2023, UA(P) Act, 1967, the Arms Act, 1959, and the Foreigners Act, 1946.

The arms and ammunition, seized from Saithah village in Mamit district, included six AK-47 rifles, 13 magazines and 10,050 rounds of ammunition. The police registered a case with the West Phaileng police station in Mamit district.

The case was originally registered by the Mizoram police on January 15, the NIA statement said.

The NIA, which re-registered the case as RC-05/2025/NIA-DLI two months later, “unravelled a criminal conspiracy by the accused to supply the prohibited weapons and ammunition to armed cadres of the UPDF (United Peoples Democratic Front) militant outfit based in the Chittagong area in Bangladesh”.

Investigations in the case are continuing, the NIA statement said.

The Mizoram police had on January 15 issued a statement about the “major operation” carried out “in partnership with a sister Intelligence Agency” leading to “one of the largest arms recoveries in Mizoram, delivering a stern warning to illegal operators in the region”.

The police said “a serious threat to regional peace and stability has been neutralised” with this arms haul and that five accused were arrested in connection with the case.

“Among those detained was a notable leader of the Chin National Front (CNF), an insurgent group based in Myanmar. The arrest of such a high-profile individual is a significant achievement in counter-insurgency operations in the state of Mizoram,” according to the police statement.

Preliminary police investigation revealed the confiscated arms and ammunition “were intended for trade between the Chin National Front (CNF) from Myanmar — a prominent rebel organisation — and the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF-P), another insurgent group active in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh”.

This operation highlights the trans-national character of illegal arms dealings and emphasises the ongoing threats to the region’s stability, the police statement had flagged.

The Delhi Meetei Coordinating Committee (DMCC) had sought a thorough probe by the NIA in the arms seizure case, stressing the need to trace the source of the arms.