They were taking shelter near the township area of the neighbouring state but due to strong security measures from the Assam side had not crossed the interstate border till evening.
A police officer said, "Over 300 Naga men are waiting at Dimapur town near the Assam Nagaland border to sneak into Assam. They are equipped with arms and ammunition and we believe they are being assisted by some Naga militants active in Dimapur district of Nagaland."
Deputy inspector general of police (northern range) Pradip Saloi said the Nagas had been trying to encroach on land in Assam's Karbi Anglong over the past few weeks and police from both sides were taking measures to foil their attempts.
"They come in large numbers equipped with weapons to occupy our land. But we have deployed strong force to prevent them. All the seven Border Out Post (BOPs) and Dhansiri police outpost, situated in Assam, have been put on high alert and security forces have been directed to enforce strict vigil there," Saloi said.
He added that their counterparts in Nagaland were helping them and although Nagaland has no force on the border, the Assam police coordinates with the Dimapur police.
On April 21, security forces foiled two separate encroachment bids of Naga hoodlums. According to police, over 250 armed Nagas at Lahorijan and another about 60 persons at Rongapahar area tried to occupy a vast portion of land in Assam. They also opened fire at the Assam police and fled from the scene when Assam police retaliated.
On April 1, an Assam police constable suffered serious bullet injuries when security forces foiled another encroachment bid of over 100 armed Nagas at Toroibari area under Dhansiri police outpost. Later, police from both Assam and Nagaland launched an operation and controlled the situation.
On March 21, a gunfight between police and Naga hoodlums took place when a Naga group tried to encroach on land at Doldoli reserve forest.