India, Sept. 6 -- A Shillong businessman claiming to be in the coal trade and his dozen armed escorts were detained on Friday after police intercepted a convoy parked outside the Meghalaya Secretariat.

At around 2.30 pm, police spotted three vehicles outside the Shoppers Stop mall opposite the Secretariat - a red Audi sports car without number plates, a black Mahindra Scorpio (ML-05AF-0309) and a black Toyota Innova (T0922ML7411A). All belonged to Mebanshem Snaitang of Pohkseh, who told police he was a coal businessman.

The convoy, with tinted glasses and a siren on one vehicle, carried 12 men in black fatigues, believed to be Snaitang's bodyguards. A search uncovered five air rifles resembling assault weapons, two air pistols, six maga...