Chinese-origin assault rifles recovered from Arunachal's Changlang

Itanagar: A large number of Chinese-origin assault rifles were recovered in Arunachal Pradesh's Changlang district, a defence spokesperson said on Sunday.

The recovery was made in a joint operation carried out by the Army and Assam Rifles, in coordination with district police, using specialist drones, tracker dogs and metal detectors, he said.

Ten MQ-81 Chinese-origin assault rifles and Type 81 assault rifles were recovered from different locations in 27 Mile along the Miao-Vijaynagar Road in the Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve, defence spokesperson Lt Col Amit Shukla said.

The weapons, believed to be buried by Eastern Naga National Government militants before their surrender last year, were being searched by insurgent groups operating in Changlang for over six months, he said.

The security forces utilising intelligence inputs have managed to uncover the hidden cache in a thick forest area on Saturday, Lt Col Shukla said.

Numerous inputs were received in the last six months that various insurgent groups, including NSCM (IM) and NSCN (KYA), with the help of ENNG cadres, have been attempting to recover the weapons, he said.

"Prior to the operation, the security forces ensured safe passage to tourists present in Namdapha Reserve Forest. The operation was carried out with the utmost professionalism and precision, ensuring that the weapons did not fall into the hands of insurgents," he said.

"This successful operation underscores the continued dedication of security forces to maintaining peace and security in the region," he added.