New Delhi: The National Intelligence Agency has recently said that a large cache of sophisticated arms and ammunition have been seized from border areas adjoining North Bengal. Officials said the agency has formed various teams to conduct search operations in North Bengal for the past few days

Sources said in the last few months there has been a spike in use of bombs in almost every political disputes. The amount and quality of these weapons have worried the sleuths. 

The central agency is trying to look for the source from where the weapons are being smuggled. They are also looking into any possible link with terrorist organisations.

With Lok Sabha elections just a few months away, the intelligence agencies are trying to ascertain if some neighbouring country or ultra organisation is trying to instigate political violence in the border areas.

Central intelligence sources said that authorities suspect that more than one terrorist outfit has taken to weapon smuggling and selling in black market as means of funding their operations.

Terrorist organisations like KLO, National Democratic Front of Bodoland, Manipur Peoples Liberation Army and Garo Liberation Army are all active in these areas and may be involved in the arms trade. Sleuths suspect that even neo-JMB of Bangladesh may have some role to play. Chirang (Assam), Chapainbaba Ganj (Bangledesh) and Birganj (Nepal) are believed to be main centres of these activities.

Earlier this month, intelligence agencies reached Tripura after series of seizure of firearms for the third time in a week. 

Sources in BSF says the border areas of Malda and North Dinajpur has huge dumps of sophisticated firearms. Intelligence agencies have already sent a report, expressing grave concern on the influx of weapons in Coochbehar, especially in and around Dinhata.

In July, the Kolkata police special task force arrested six people and seized 20 semi-finished weapons from an illegal arms manufacturing unit being operated from the facade of a laddu shop in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district. Fake Indian currency with a face value of Rs 1 lakh and a lathe machine used to make the weapons were also recovered in the raid at Jagaddal village, which began on Monday noon and continued till late that night.

In May, police had raided an illegal firearms manufacturing unit at Naldubi in Malda district and arrested 10 people and recovering a number of semi-manufactured weapons. Officers also seized Rs 80,000 in cash from the main accused. Other materials recovered from the unit included a lathe machine, drilling equipment, a substantial quantity of gunpowder, some bullets and mobile phones.

(With agency inputs)