Naga insurgent nabbed with gun converters
NEW DELHI: A member of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak Muivah) was arrested by customs officials at the Delhi airport after he was found to be in possession of five pistol-conversion carbine units, in a move that government officials figure could affect ongoing talks between the group and the Indian government.
The converter turns any pistol into an assault rifle. It isn’t a weapon itself.
The 45-year-old, whose name was not shared with Hindustan Times, was arrested after he landed in New Delhi from Bangkok on Thursday night, senior customs officials confirmed on condition of anonymity.
“We had information that he might be carrying contraband. He was stopped and nothing suspicious was found in the hand baggage. His registered baggage was scanned and the converters along with several other accessories which help improve the accuracy of fire arms were recovered,” said a customs officer.
Senior officials added that while no weapons were recovered from the accused, the equipment seized from him is used to convert a small gun into range firing weapon and allows multiple firing.
The passenger had purchased the converters in Bangkok and since it is not illegal to carry these in registered or check-in luggage, he had no problems at the embarkation point.
The customs official mentioned above added that the person had frequently travelled between Bangkok and India, but usually landed in Kolkata. It isn’t clear whether this was his first attempt to bring in converters.
Government officials familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that the arrest might complicate the equation Central government has with the insurgent group,