Arms recovered from the terrorists' possession in Harinagar village.
Highlights
- Four Naga terrorists were trying to smuggle arms, the police said
- The villagers managed to overpower two of the terrorists, companions flee
- A 12-bore single barrel rifle, three AK-56 rifles are among weapons found
Two suspected Naga terrorists died in Assam's Cachar district today, hours after they were assaulted by villagers for allegedly trying to smuggle a large cache of arms and ammunition into a neighbouring region.
Terrorist groups have traditionally used the Harinagar village as a transit point for transporting contraband material to other parts of the state. Police are yet to reveal the identities of the two accused, who were allegedly trying to smuggle the weapons into adjoining Dima Hasao district.
According to the police, four Naga terrorists were trying to move the arms under stacks of bamboo around 11 am when they were stopped by villagers. Fearing that the load would be inspected, they attacked the villagers with sharp weapons. Although the villagers managed to overpower two of the terrorists, their companions managed to flee.
The villagers were still beating the accused when police personnel arrived at the spot, reports said. They were then admitted to the Silchar Medical College Hospital in a critical condition. They died hours later.
Police said they recovered a 12-bore single barrel rifle, three AK-56 rifles, a Chinese LMG rifle, two 5.56-mm rifle, a .22 pistol, 308 rounds of 5.56-mm bullets, 361 rounds of 7.62-mm bullets and a hand grenade, among other articles, from the terrorists' possession.