IMPHAL, April 10: In a major crackdown on illegal arms in Manipur, police on Wednesday recovered a large cache of arms, ammunition, and war-like stores from Kakching and Imphal districts, and arrested a militant allegedly involved in extortion activities.
The seized arms include two SMG carbines (without magazines), one .303 rifle with magazine, a single-barrel gun, two double-barrel guns, a modified sniper rifle, a modified 9 mm pistol with magazine, three mortar shells, two improvised explosive devices (IEDs), two grenades, detonators, and several rounds of ammunition. The recovery was made from the Tokpaching Moirangkhom Hill Range in Kakching district.
In a separate operation, police recovered another cache of weapons from the Yaralpat area in Imphal East, opposite a school. This included one .303 rifle, 16 live rounds of .303 ammunition, two Lathode 40 mm guns, one small carbine with a handmade magazine, one 9 mm pistol, seven detonators, two grenades, and other related items.
All recovered materials have been handed over to Porompat Police Station for further legal procedures.
In a parallel development, security forces arrested a 45-year-old cadre of the proscribed Kangleipak Communist Party (People’s War Group) from Lamsang Bazaar in Imphal West. According to police, the individual was involved in issuing monetary demands to government officials in and around the capital city.
The arms recovery and arrest come over a month after the March 6 deadline for the voluntary surrender of looted and illegally held weapons ended. Despite the expiration of the deadline, authorities continue to discover hidden caches of weapons in the violence-hit state, underlining ongoing concerns over internal security and militant activity.
