A significant cache of arms, ammunition, and other war-like stores was recovered from Manipur’s Kakching and Imphal West districts, police said on Thursday. A cadre of the banned militant outfit Kangleipak Communist Party (PWG) was also arrested during the operation.
In Kakching district, the recoveries were made from the Tokpaching Moirangkhom Hill Range and included two SMG carbines without magazines, a .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, as well as ammunition, detonators, and other related items.
In a separate operation in the Yaralpat area opposite a school in Imphal East district, police recovered one .303 rifle, 16 live rounds of .303 ammunition, two Lathode 40 mm guns, a small carbine, a handmade magazine, a 9 mm pistol, seven detonators, two hand grenades, and other miscellaneous items. These have been handed over to the Porompat Police Station for further legal action.
The recoveries were made on Wednesday, nearly a month after the end of the state’s arms surrender drive, which concluded on March 6 following a two-week window for people to voluntarily hand over looted and illegal weapons amid the ongoing ethnic unrest in the region.
Meanwhile, a 45-year-old PWG cadre was arrested from Lamsang Bazaar in Imphal West on Wednesday. According to police, he was allegedly involved in serving monetary demands to government officials in and around the state capital.
