Imphal: The Indian army, in coordination with the central paramilitary personnel, CRPF, and Manipur police, intensified anti-insurgency operations and recovered a significant cache of 87 weapons and 57 rounds of ammunition.
The operations were conducted in the hill districts of Manipur during the past few days, but no arrests were made. This was stated by the Manipur police Chief Rajiv Singh in a statement issued on Thursday.
The operations were targeted at the multiple locations in the hill districts of Churachandpur, Chandel, and Tengnoupal, acting on specific intelligence inputs about concealed weapon stockpiles. These hill districts are predominantly inhabited by the Kuki-Zo tribals.
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High-powered, sophisticated weapons, including an M16, an MA1 rifle, an INSAS rifle, various carbines and pistols, 37 double-barrel guns, 11 pistols of different types, and 28 improvised weapons locally known as ‘lathodes’ and ‘pompis were among the seized items, the police chief said.
During the operations, the joint team also recovered 22 grenades, five landmine bombs, 30 rounds of assorted ammunition, 23 radio sets with two chargers, and two bulletproof jacket plates.
The cordon and search operations were part of sustained efforts to eliminate illegal weapons from circulation and restore normalcy across the state, the police chief said, adding that the law protectors are also committed to ensuring public safety and protecting the lives and property of all citizens.