40-kg explosive, rifles & mortars seized in Manipur as forces bust caches in ops
Officials said the recoveries point to ongoing efforts by armed groups to maintain dispersed weapon stockpiles in forested pockets
The recovery, made during an operation in Gelmol village on Tuesday.
Imphal, Nov 26: An improvised long-range rocket with nearly 40 kg of explosives was seized by security forces in Manipur’s Churachandpur district, police said on Wednesday.
The recovery, made during an operation in Gelmol village on Tuesday, also includes a rocket-launching stand, a battery and five sandbags used for fortification.
The recovery is a part of a continued extensive search operations and area domination in the fringe and vulnerable areas across multiple districts.
Officials said the recoveries point to ongoing efforts by armed groups to maintain dispersed weapon stockpiles in forested pockets.
In a separate operation in Kangpokpi district, security forces recovered a large cache of arms from the vicinity of Songlung village.
The haul included a German rifle, two bolt-action rifles, four pull-mechanism rifles, an improvised mortar, two hand grenades, detonators and a radio set.
Several more weapons were also seized from the Gelbung jungle in the same district. Among the items were a CMG carbine, a .303 rifle, two pistols, nine bolt-action rifles, a country-made SBBL gun, a locally made grenade, three pieces of plastic explosives and two handsets.
Troops also recovered another locally made grenade, a safety fuse, a detonator, three PEK explosive units, four Pumpis with a stand, two Baofeng handsets, a pair of jungle boots and a magazine pouch.
Further recoveries were made from the general area of Songlung village under Kangchup Police Station, in Kangpokpi district. The recovered items include one Heckler & Koch G3 rifle with magazine, two bolt-action rifles, four pull-mechanism rifles, an improvised mortar, two No. 36 hand grenades along with arming rings and detonators, two G3 live rounds and one handheld radio set.
Meanwhile, in an intelligence-based operation targeting extortion networks, Manipur Police arrested an active cadre of the KCP (PWG) on November 24.
The accused, identified as Ronaldo Thoudam alias Lamjingba (23) of Haoreibi Mayai Leikai, was apprehended from the Chandranadi Lamkhai area under Wangoi Police Station in Imphal West district.
Security agencies said combing, cordon and search operations will continue in the coming days to track down armed groups and extortion operatives believed to be sheltering in peripheral zones.
With inputs from PTI