16 militants arrested, 35 arms recovered in separate operations in Manipur

Imphal: In a series of joint operations in Manipur, the Army and other Central and state security forces have arrested ten hardcore militants of different outfits and recovered 35 different types of arms, 11 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), a large cache of ammunition and other war-like stores from five districts, officials said on Tuesday.

Manipur Police also arrested six more militants of different outfits during the past 24 hours from Bishnupur, Thoubal and Imphal West districts.

A Defence spokesman said that the intelligence-based, coordinated joint operations resulted in the arrest of ten militants of various hill and Valley-based banned extremist outfits.

He said joint operations were conducted during the past few days in the five valley and hill districts of Kangpokpi, Bishnupur, Tengnoupal, Imphal West and Imphal East. The majority of the arms — 18 weapons comprising one 5.56 mm Insas Rifle, one .303 Rifle, five Bolt Action Rifles, three Single Barrel Rifles, two Pull Mech Rifles and six Improvised Mortars, ammunition and war-like stores — were recovered from the mountainous Kangpokpi district.

The Army, during the operations, used specialised resources like explosive detection dogs. Army and Assam Rifles formations under the Spear Corps launched a series of operations in coordination with Manipur Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

The weapons recovered in these joint operations from the other districts include AK-56 rifles, AK-47 rifles, .303 Light Machine Gun, Carbine machine gun, .303 rifle, one double-barrel rifle and several pistols.

The apprehended militants and the recovered arms, ammunition, explosives and other items have been handed over to Manipur Police. These coordinated efforts by security forces highlight their unwavering commitment to maintaining peace and security in Manipur, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, Manipur Police arrested six more militants of different outfits during the past 24 hours from Bishnupur, Thoubal and Imphal West districts. The arrested extremists belonged to Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) outfits.

The arrested extremists were involved in extortion from people, traders, contractors, and government officials and were active in the recruitment of cadres in their outfits. Pistols, mobile handsets, Aadhaar cards, two-wheelers and other documents were recovered from the possession of the arrested militants.

Security forces continue to conduct search operations and area domination in the fringe and vulnerable areas across districts. The police have also cautioned people against spreading rumours and fake videos. They have appealed to people not to believe in rumours and to be vigilant about fake videos. The veracity of any videos, audio clips, etc., can be confirmed by the Central Control Room, a police statement said.

The police said that there are possibilities of many fake posts being circulated on social media. “It is hereby cautioned that uploading and circulation of such fake posts on social media would attract legal action with consequences. Further, an appeal is made to the public to return the looted arms, ammunition and explosives to the police or nearest security forces immediately,” the statement said.

–IANS