In a sweeping security crackdown in the past few days, a joint team of Manipur Police, Assam Rifles, the Army, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have recovered a significant cache of arms, ammunition, and warlike materials during coordinated search operations across several hill districts of Manipur. The intensified action, based on intelligence inputs, was launched to combat the growing threat posed by illegal weapons circulating in the state amidst ongoing unrest, police said today.
The fresh seizure of 155 weapons comes close on the heels of an earlier operation, just two days ago, where 90 sophisticated weapons, many looted from police armouries along with 728 rounds of ammunition, 12 magazines, and 24 wireless handsets, were recovered from five valley districts, the police added.
Inspector General of Police (Zone-II) K. Kabib, confirming the earlier haul, said, “The recovery was made from Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Kakching, and Bishnupur. There are many looted weapons in the recovery.”
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On Monday, Inspector General of Police (Intelligence) Ningshen Worngam briefed journalists at the Police headquarters in Imphal, outlining the success of the joint operation carried out across Churachandpur, Pherzawl, Kangpokpi, Chandel, and Tengnoupal districts. He said, “The operations were intelligence-based and executed simultaneously across vulnerable and suspected areas. A total of 155 weapons were recovered, comprising a wide variety of sophisticated arms and country-made weapons used during the ongoing conflict.”
According to the IGP, the recovered arms include AK-series rifles, INSAS rifles, a sniper rifle with a telescope, an M4 rifle, self-loading rifles, .303 rifles, 12-bore guns, 9mm pistols, carbines, and a large number of single and double-barrel guns. He also mentioned the seizure of indigenous weapons such as ‘Pompi’ guns and lathodes. “We also recovered 1,652 rounds of assorted ammunition, including 39 IEDs, 13 hand grenades, and 1,600 live rounds,” he added. “Further items seized include four binoculars, fifteen communication sets, and one telescope.”
DGP Rajiv Singh, in an official statement issued the same day, described the operation as “a major achievement in the collective effort to restore peace, maintain public order, and ensure the safety of citizens.” He noted that these recoveries reflected the “seriousness and efficiency” of the ongoing coordinated actions between state and central forces. “These operations are not one-off events. They are part of a sustained effort to clean up illegal arms from both the hill and valley regions,” the DGP said.
Appealing to the public, Rajiv Singh urged citizens to assist security forces. “We request the public to cooperate with the police and report any suspicious activity or possession of illegal arms. Without public support, our efforts would not be as effective,” he said.
Security officials emphasized that these search operations would continue in a phased and focused manner. “This isn’t just about recovering weapons, it’s about restoring confidence in governance and securing civilian lives,” said a senior police officer who was part of the operation. “Every single weapon we take off the streets reduces the potential for violence.”
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The latest crackdown is part of an ongoing series of actions in response to the violent ethnic conflict that erupted in the state on May 3, 2023. The violence has left more than 250 people dead and displaced around 60,000 individuals. In the chaos, more than 6,000 weapons and lakhs of rounds of ammunition were looted from police and security installations.
(Newmai News Network)