Kolkata, April 28: Maoists have entered into an arms-exchange agreement with an underground extremist organisation in Assam, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).
As part of the deal, Maoists will receive highly sophisticated AK-series and Insas rifles, ammunition and China-made hand grenades from NDFB in return for liquid explosive Neogel 90. The ultra-Left organisation is procuring Neogel 90 from Nepal.
The trade-off was happening in Kokrajhar, Bodo-stronghold in Assam. Recently, Assam Police arrested two people, Manmatha Mahato and Mangal Mahato, with a huge consignment of AK series rifles and ammunition in Kokrajhar. Manmatha and Mangal were residents of Maoist-dominated Jhargram area in Bengal’s West Midnapore district.
Teams from Bengal Police and Assam Police went to Kokrajhar recently and interrogated Manmatha and Mangal. The duo admitted they had been deputed by Maoists to receive arms from NDFB. The arms deal between the Maoists and NDFB was finalised at a meeting in Kokrajhar about two months ago.
Highly placed CID sources told DNA that the duo had connections with a number of truck and oil-tanker drivers to transport arms and ammunition from Kokrajhar to various Maoist stronghold areas in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa. Manmatha and Mangal are wanted by Bengal Police for their involvement in insurgency activities.
CID sources said the duo are members of the Maoist special action squad and received training at Dantewada, Chattishgarh.
The arms deal is worrying for security agencies, since by opening such multiple agreement channels, Maoists are slowly and steadily expanding their bases to areas which were out of their reach.
–Agencies–