Shillong, Jan 27: East Garo Hills Police recovered a large cache of arms, ammunition and explosives buried in a forest near Dura Bawegra during a special operation on January 25.
Superintendent of Police Steven A Rynjah said the weapons and explosives were recovered buried underground and are suspected to have been concealed by members of former militant outfits, including the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) and the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
The seized items include one AK-56 rifle with a magazine, three pistols with two magazines, one double-barrel country-made rifle along with a country-made trigger mechanism, seven delay mechanisms for explosive devices, 99 rounds of AK 7.62 mm live ammunition, four rounds of 7.65 mm live ammunition, 50 electric detonators, and 11 shotgun cartridges.
Police also recovered one improvised explosive device (IED) fitted with a digital timer and concealed inside a three-litre pressure cooker, which was later safely defused by the district bomb squad.
Following the recovery, a case has been registered at Williamnagar Police Station under Case No. 04/2026, invoking Sections 25(1A) and 25(1B) of the Arms Act and Section 5 of the Explosive Substances Act.
Further investigation is underway to identify those responsible for concealing the cache and to ascertain possible links to militant networks.
