Four Militants Arrested, 13 Firearms Seized In Manipur Security Operations

Security forces have arrested four militants affiliated with different banned outfits and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition in separate operations across Manipur, police said on Friday.

According to PTI, an active cadre of the proscribed Kangleipak Communist Party (PWG), allegedly involved in extortion, was apprehended from Lamsang in Imphal West district on Thursday. In a separate operation, a militant belonging to the KCP (Taibanganba faction) was arrested along Kakching DSA Road in Kakching district the same day.

Police further reported the arrest of another active member of the KCP (PSC) from Imphal West and a militant of the banned Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) from Bamon Leikai in Imphal East. Both were also engaged in extortion-related activities, PTI reported.

Meanwhile, during intensive search operations, security forces recovered 13 firearms along with a large quantity of ammunition from Bishnupur and Imphal East districts. From Phubala Patton Mamang area in Bishnupur, troops seized five weapons, including a Self-Loading Rifle (SLR), a .303 rifle, one single-barrel breech-loading (SBBL) gun, and two double-barrel breech-loading (DBBL) guns, along with a mine bomb.

In another major haul, police discovered three INSAS rifles, one AK-56 rifle, one Ghatak AK-46 rifle, one SLR rifle, and one 9mm MP5 rifle from Uran Chiru village in Imphal East. The recovery also included 232 rounds of assorted ammunition and ten magazines, PTI reported.

The coordinated crackdown comes amid heightened security measures in the state as forces intensify operations against insurgent groups.

(With inputs from PTI)