As a part of their continued efforts to recover looted weapons, security forces in Manipur made another significant recovery of a large number of firearms and ammunition in separate search operations conducted on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters, Kabib K, Inspector General of Police, said 90 weapons, along with ammunition and explosives, were recovered during multiple search operations conducted in Bishnupur, Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, and Kakching districts.
The IG termed the recovery a major accomplishment for the Manipur Police and security forces in restoring peace in the state after ethnic violence broke out in 2023. He said the operations were carried out simultaneously by a joint team of security forces, acting on specific intelligence inputs regarding concealed weapons in various locations throughout the valley districts. The joint team comprised Manipur Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF) and the Assam Rifles.
The recovered items include three AK series rifles, a light machine gun, five rifles, four self-loading rifles, and 20 pistols. The joint team also recovered 728 pieces of assorted ammunition, including 21 hand grenades and six improvised explosive devices (IDEs), among others.
While some of the recovered items include weapons looted from the state’s armouries, the IG did not give the exact figure. Miscreants looted over 6,000 weapons and over one lakh ammunition were looted from state forces’ armouries since ethnic violence erupted in the state on May 3, 2023.
On July 15, the Manipur Police, in another joint operation, recovered 86 weapons and several rounds of ammunition. The recovery was made during search operations conducted across multiple valley districts based on specific intelligence inputs regarding the peripheral and vulnerable areas of Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Kakching, and Bishnupur districts.
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The seizure included five AK series rifles, three rifles, 16 self-loading rifles, five .303 rifles, 19 pistols, two carbines, nine other rifles, 16 SBBL and bore action guns, two anti-riot guns, one JVPC, one double-barrel gun, six bolt-action guns, and a 2-inch mortar.
On July 4, the forces seized 203 weapons and explosives during joint search operations in the hill districts of Manipur. Before that, in another operation, 328 guns and 8,665 assorted ammunition were recovered.
