Imphal, Aug 17: Security forces in Manipur arrested nine active cadres of banned insurgent groups during a series of intelligence-based operations across Thoubal, Kakching and Churachandpur districts between August 9 and 16.
The arrested cadres were linked to banned outfits, including the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the armed wing of the proscribed Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF), the United People’s Party of Kangleipak (UPPK) and the United Kuki National Army (UKNA).
The joint operations were conducted by the Assam Rifles, Manipur Police, and the Kakching and Thoubal commando units.
“We recovered a substantial cache of weapons, ammunition and explosives during the operations. The seizures included an AK-47 rifle, a .303 light machine gun with an additional barrel, three INSAS rifles, four single-barrel weapons and two 9mm pistols,” an official said.
He said the security forces also recovered 2,156 live rounds of different calibres, 29 magazines, 157 empty rounds, 1.5 kg of commercial plastic explosives, 14 detonators and communication equipment.
The arrests come amid the state government’s renewed appeal to people possessing illegal weapons to surrender them.
Recently, Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh appealed to people possessing illegal weapons in both the hill and valley regions to surrender them within 15 days or face action under the law.
Singh warned that those who failed to surrender illegal weapons within the stipulated period would face legal action.
The Chief Minister has also said that the state’s development has been adversely affected since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023.
