Itanagar, May 8 The Arunachal Pradesh Police on Thursday claimed that they have busted a network involving militant recruitment, arms trafficking, and cross-border illegal activity in the state.
A senior police official said the nexus was involved with the National Socialist Council for Taniland (NSCT) outfit and its armed wing, the United Tani Army (UTA).
Five cadres of the UTA and NSCT were arrested for recruiting youths from backward communities into the UTA and other illegal activities including the Arms Act violation.
Some arms and ammunition were also recovered from the possession of the detainee. He said that the police started a probe in January after it took the suo-motu cognisance of threatening videos and letters circulated on social media, allegedly issued by the self-styled NSCT commander Anthony Doke.
The security forces have been looking for Doke in connection with 20 cases.
Police registered a case in this regard under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA).
The police official said that intelligence inputs suggested involvement of some of the detainees in trafficking of young boys from the Tarasso region in Papum Pare district to a militant training camp in neighbouring Myanmar, which shares 520 km unfenced border with the northeastern state.
Investigation revealed that at least three other boys from Itanagar were forcibly engaged into the UTA. Two of the three boys, however, fled from the UTA custody and returned to their homes.
The two youths told the police and their parents about the physical and mental torture meted on them and harsh living conditions during their forced training in the militant camp. The militant outfit NSCT has been demanding for "Taniland" for the Tani tribal community people, who mostly inhabit Arunachal Pradesh’s northeastern region, particularly along the border with Assam. Several other groups are also demanding the creation of "Taniland".
On April 30, the police arrested one person linked to NSCN-KYA, who was also engaged in forcible collection of money from contractors and traders.
During questioning, the arrested person disclosed to the police about an arms trafficking network based in Itanagar, with links to insurgent groups in Nagaland.
Police also unearth a connection between this arms racket and a narcotics network operating in and around the state capital Itanagar.
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