Imphal, Feb 3: Security forces in Manipur recovered a substantial cache of arms, ammunition and explosives and arrested two militants in separate operations, police said on February 3, as authorities continued intensified measures to stabilise the violence-affected state.
According to police, a search operation near Bongmol and SL Zougam villages in Tengnoupal district led to the recovery of a significant quantity of warlike materials. The seized items included an AK-47 rifle with a magazine, two pistols, two single-barrel rifles, eleven live rounds of ammunition, three radio communication sets and IED wires. During the operation, security personnel also detected and safely neutralised 18 improvised explosive devices on the spot, preventing what police said could have posed a serious threat to both civilians and security forces operating in the area. Officials described the recovery as a major success in efforts to curb militant activity in the sensitive border district.
In a separate development, two militants affiliated with different banned outfits were arrested in Imphal West district. Police said a cadre of the proscribed Peoples’ Liberation Army was apprehended from his residence at Lambal Awang Leikai on Monday. In another operation conducted a day earlier, a member of the outlawed Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup was arrested from the Mayang Imphal area.
Manipur has remained under severe strain since ethnic violence erupted on May 3, 2023, following a tribal solidarity march in the hill districts opposing the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. The prolonged unrest has so far claimed at least 260 lives, including members of the Kuki and Meitei communities as well as security personnel, and has displaced thousands of people.
The state has been under President’s Rule since February last year, with security forces continuing sustained operations aimed at recovering illegal weapons, dismantling militant networks and preventing further escalation of violence.
