New Delhi: Over 200 sophisticated weapons and significant ammunition, including grenades, pompi shells, IEDs, and bullets, were recovered from the hill districts of Manipur at midnight on 3 July in a joint raid by the security forces.
The weapons included 21 INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) rifles, 11 AK-47 rifles, 17 .303 rifles, 26 SLRs (self-loading rifles), two sniper rifles, three carbines, assault rifles, and more.
The raid is the second such operation to yield success. The previous one, in June this year, resulted in more recoveries—328 weapons.
According to a senior officer in the Manipur Police, the operation followed specific intelligence on a large cache of arms, ammunition, and other warlike materials concealed in various locations.
On Thursday, joint teams of Manipur Police, Assam Rifles, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) simultaneously launched coordinated operations at multiple sites in the interior areas of the Tengnoupal, Kangpokpi, Chandel, and Churachandpur districts, where the weapons are suspected to be hidden.
“These intelligence-based coordinated operations in the hill districts represent a significant achievement for the Manipur Police, Assam Rifles/ Army, and Central Security Forces in their ongoing efforts to restore normalcy, maintain public order, and ensure the safety and security of citizens and their property,” Manipur police said in a statement.
“The public is urged to cooperate with the Police and Security Forces, and to promptly report any suspicious activity or information related to illegal arms to the nearest police station or the Central Control Room,” the statement said.
The officer quoted above said that all security stakeholders coordinate closely, ensuring the operations continue in a sustained and focused manner, in their aim to restore normalcy in the region.
Over 5,682 weapons, including more than 200 AK-47s, 406 carbines, 551 INSAS rifles, and 250 machine guns, besides over 6.5 lakh rounds of ammunition, were earlier looted from police armouries and stations, which are primarily in the Meitei-dominated Imphal valley.
In comparison, there have, so far, been no substantial recoveries, with a significant cache believed to be left in the hands of residents still, exacerbating the cycle of violence in Manipur, starting May 2023.
According to sources, the entry of underground groups into Manipur, their renewed public support, the lack of intelligence inputs from locals, and the sale of looted weapons are the key reasons for the police and the security forces failing to make any substantial recoveries of the looted arms in the region.
“These are all real challenges. But, with constant efforts, the operations in the region have picked up, and recoveries are now underway. We expect that the momentum will remain, and more such recoveries will take place,” the officer said.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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