On February 28, 2025, three persons were arrested on the Sakawrtuichhun Quarry Road in Aizawl District and 623 kilograms of explosives were recovered from their possession.
On February 28, 2025, one person was arrested in possession of a weapon and ammunition, from the Saiha area in Siaha District.
On February 27, 2025, Security Forces (SFs) launched an operation based on specific intelligence inputs, in the Lawngtlai town, Lawngtlai District, and arrested two persons in possession of ammunition.
On February 17, 2025, the Assam Rifles arrested two persons and recovered 3,000 electric detonators, 700 metres of Cordtex, as well as explosives, at Vokte Kai in Zokhawtar, Champhai District.
On January 29, 2025, in a joint operation with Mizoram Police, Assam Rifles arrested one person and recovered 4,450 electric detonators, in the Khankawn area of Champhai District.
The frequency of arms and ammunition recoveries in Mizoram has risen significantly in recent times. The South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) has already recorded six such incidents in the state in 2025 (data till March 9, 2025), while there were 16 such incidents in 2024, 11 in 2023, and 13 in 2022. The number of such incidents in 2022 was the highest recorded in a year, since March 6, 2000, when SATP started compiling data on insurgencies in the Northeast. The upsurge in recoveries was due to increased vigilance by SFs after the February 1, 2021, coup d’état by Tatmadaw (the Myanmar military) in Myanmar.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken several steps against the arms smuggling networks in Mizoram.
On December 6, 2024, NIA arrested three persons – Lalrinchhunga, Vanlaldailova and Lalmuanpuia – from Mizoram for their involvement in a trans-border arms and ammunition trafficking syndicate, following extensive searches at six locations in the state. The search locations included Mammit, Serchip and Aizawl Districts. The trio were found linked with previously arrested accused and suspects, and were actively involved in the explosives, weapons and ammunition trafficking network. A significant quantity of weapons, ammunitions, explosives, weapons manufacturing equipment and tools, digital devices and other incriminating articles were seized during the search operations.
On August 29, 2024, NIA charge-sheeted 10 accused – Lalrintluanga, Laldinpuia, Zoremsanga, Lalbiaktluanga, Lalrinsanga, Zothanmawia, Henry Siangnuna, J. Rohlupuia, Laldinsanga and David Lalramsanga – who included some Myanmar-based absconders, in a Mizoram arms and explosives seizure case connected with Myanmar-based insurgent groups. The case, registered in May 2022, followed the seizure of a large cache of weapons near Kelsih Village, Aizawl. NIA investigations revealed a conspiracy by Myanmar insurgents, along with their associates in their country as well as in Mizoram, to procure arms, etc., to support the armed struggle of militant groups fighting against the existing regime in Myanmar. They conspired with Aizwal-based Myanmar national, Lalrinsanga, to illegally traffick arms, ammunition and explosives to supply the Myanmar-based groups.
On February 1, 2024, NIA neutralised an international network of arms, ammunition and explosives smugglers operating in India’s northeastern states and arrested a key accused, Lalngaihawma, from the Aizwal District of Mizoram. NIA disclosed,
Lalngaihawma was working in collusion with various operatives, including insurgent groups situated across the international border… As part of their conspiracy, they had already distributed such terror hardware to various individuals in India and abroad. These illicit weapons & explosives are suspected to have been used in violent terrorist acts and criminal activities across different regions.
Meanwhile, seven terrorists were arrested in the state in 2024. These included three cadres each of the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and Hmar People’s Convention-Democracy (HPC-D) and one Chin Kuki Resistance Force (CKRF). 10 terrorists – seven Kuki Chin National Army (KCNA) cadres and three cadres of Myanmar-based resistance groups – were arrested in 2023. In 2022, three terrorists – two cadres of the Maraland Defence Force (MDF) and one of the National Liberation Front of Tripura-Biswa Mohan Debbarman faction (NLFT-BM) – were arrested.
Mizoram has remained almost free of insurgency-related violence since 2015. On March 28, 2015, three Policemen were killed and another two were injured, as suspected militants of the Hmar People’s Convention-Democrats (HPC-D) opened fire on a convoy accompanying a group of Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) near Zokhawthiang in Aizawl District. Between March 28, 2015 and March 9, 2025, Mizoram has recorded just one terrorism-linked incident. Three civilians were killed and one was injured in an explosion in the Durtlang locality of Aizawl District on March 18, 2022. Several detonators, along with some Myanmarese currency, were recovered from the blast site. Investigations Examination of the remnants of the explosion later revealed that the explosive PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) used in the blast had come from Myanmar.
Significantly, between 1992 and 2014, Mizoram had recorded a total of 2,774 fatalities (1,345 civilians, 641 SF personnel and 788 terrorists). During this period, fatalities were recorded in each year, barring 2002, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013. A high of 495 fatalities (233 civilians, 111 SF personnel and 151 terrorists) were recorded in 1997.
While terrorist violence is now absent, the state continues to be disturbed by rising incidents of weapons and explosives smuggling.
Moreover, following the February 2021 military takeover in Myanmar, more than fifty thousand civilians have fled from the Chin State and Sagaing Region of Myanmar and entered Indian states in the northeast, mostly Mizoram. According to a report by state disaster management and rehabilitation officials on December 23, 2024, there were a total of 32,794 Myanmar refugees in Mizoram as on December 18, 2024. Among these 16,892 individuals were residing in 127 relief camps across seven districts, while 15,902 people live outside these camps. They include 10,002 males, 10,340 females, and 12,452 children. Champhai District maintains its position as the primary host of Myanmar refugees. [As per data available with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), on May 1, 2023, over 40,150 refugees from Myanmar were living in Mizoram, and 8,250 were living in Manipur.]
Mizoram shares a 510-km porous border with Myanmar, making it a key transit route for drug trafficking networks in the Northeast region. In this context, Mizoram Governor General (Retired) V.K. Singh, on February 19, 2025, stressed the need to strengthen security along the state’s border with Myanmar to combat the menace of drug trafficking and drug abuse. Singh emphasised the importance of safeguarding the state’s international boundary, but noted that the overall law and order situation in Mizoram remains largely peaceful.
The boundary dispute between Mizoram and Assam has been a source of concern for years. However, on August 9, 2024, Mizoram and Assam agreed to continue to promote and maintain peace along the inter-state border, as part of efforts to resolve their decades-long boundary dispute. Both states committed to find solutions to amicably resolve the border dispute and reaffirmed their commitment to continue with the zero-tolerance policy towards transportation of smuggled areca nuts from neighbouring countries. Tensions between the two States have reached a flashpoint on various occasions in the past, including:
July 26, 2021: Violent clashes erupted along the Assam-Mizoram border, resulting in the deaths of at least five Assam Police personnel and injuries to over 50 persons.
October 2020: Two skirmishes occurred within a week over developments in Lailapur (Assam) on territory claimed by Mizoram, leading to injuries and property damage.
February 2018: Tensions escalated when the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) constructed a wooden rest house for farmers on land claimed by Assam. The rest house was subsequently demolished by Assam Police, leading to unrest.
Despite being largely free from insurgency-related violence since 2015, Mizoram remains a significant hub for arms, ammunition, and explosives trafficking, largely due to its porous border with Myanmar.
Militant groups in Northeast India, such as the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I), National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), and Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), are key recipients of these weapons. In Myanmar, groups such as the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and various factions resisting the military junta also rely on these arms to sustain their operations. Weapons are principally sourced from black markets in Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, and are often transported by sea to coastal areas such as Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. They are then smuggled overland through the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), eventually entering Northeast India via states such as Mizoram and Manipur.
The state has witnessed a sharp rise in recoveries of illegal arms and explosives, with SFs intensifying operations in response to the post-coup instability in Myanmar. While insurgency-linked fatalities have been absent since 2023, Mizoram continues to grapple with the challenges posed by arms trafficking, refugee influx, and cross-border insurgent movements. Cross-border insurgent movements in Mizoram remain a significant security concern, primarily due to its porous and challenging border with Myanmar. The state’s proximity to conflict zones has made it a transit route and occasional shelter for insurgent groups. Myanmar-based militant factions, particularly those resisting the military junta, have been known to cross into Mizoram, seeking refuge or logistical support. Additionally, some Northeast Indian insurgent groups utilize the difficult terrain to facilitate the movement of arms and personnel. The arrest of cadres linked to these groups underscores the persistent threat posed by cross-border insurgency. While Mizoram remains relatively peaceful, its strategic location and ongoing security challenges necessitate continuous vigilance and coordinated countermeasures by law enforcement agencies.
