Aizwal: In a bid to efficiently fight back the growing terror of insurgents in the state and to upgrade the state police, a Senior Police official stated that Mizoram Police has purchased five sniper rifles from Switzerland.
The Police has purchased five Brugger & Thomet AG sniper rifles each costing INR 8,10,585. The five sniper rifles were part of the first batch as the state Police was expected to have 80 sniper rifles in accordance with the guidelines of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD).
The State Police has also recently bought 30 AK-47 assault rifles at the rate of INR 68,518 per rifle.
It may be mentioned that owing to the procurement of more sophisticated weapons by the banned militant outfits in the region, the state police is also gearing it up to put forward a strong counter-insurgency fight against them.
Earlier in August, a joint operation conducted by Serchhip Battalion of Assam Rifles and Customs Department led to the recovery of eight foreign-made assault rifles along the Indo Myanmar border, north of Friendship Bridge at Zokhawthar in Champhai District, Mizoram. Acting on specific intelligence in concert with the Customs Department and other intelligence agencies, the Assam Rifles Battalion had established multiple check posts along the Indo-Myanmar Border to intercept the smugglers.
On being confronted approximately 500 meters from the border on the Indian side, the two suspects on a Kenbo motorcycle tried to flee into Myanmar. In the ensuing chase, the suspects abandoned their motorcycle and gunny bag and crossed River Tyao which marks the international boundary and fled into Myanmar. The search of the gunny bag led to the recovery of two US origin 5.56mm M-16 rifles, two German origins 7.62mm G-3 rifles and four Myanmar origin 5.56mm MA3 assault rifle.
Assam Rifles the designated Border Guarding Force along the Indo-Myanmar Border along with other agencies are at the forefront in ensuring the sanctity of the open borders and thwarting designs of inimical interests and facilitate enhanced relations between the nations under Free Move Regime.