GUWAHATI, Feb 19 � The National Investigating Agency (NIA), formed to act as an investigating agency matching the best standards of investigation in counter terrorism and other national security related issues, is now probing 15 cases in the North East region including highly sensitive cases like arms smuggling, providing arms to the militant groups by police personnel etc.
Highly placed official sources told The Assam Tribune that two of the major cases under investigation by the NIA in the region are related to smuggling of weapons and ammunition from the police armoury in Nagaland by police personnel to both the factions of the NSCN. Several police personnel including an officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police have been arrested by the NIA in connection of the cases and further investigations are on. It may be mentioned here that most of the weapons were siphoned off from the Zunheboto armoury of Nagaland police.
The second major case is the recently registered case (RC-04/2013) against the commander-in-chief of the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) Paresh Baruah and others. Baruah has been charged with recruiting new cadres, organizing terror camps, extortion and kidnappings and waging war against the country. Sources said that the persons and leaders of other militant outfits maintaining links with Baruah would also come under the purview of the case. Interestingly, the NIA registered the case following an instruction from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Ministry�s initiative came after Baruah started taking the lead in trying to form a common platform of the major militant groups of the region.
Another major case under investigation by the NIA is related to arms smuggling from Myanmar. Sources said that a big cache of weapons was seized in Mizoram, following which a case was registered by the NIA. The arms were brought from Myanmar and the arrested persons confessed that they were taking it to Bangladesh through Mizoram. But several questions on the issue remained unanswered as there was no reason for the smugglers to bring the weapons to Mizoram to take it to Bangladesh.
