IMPHAL, Nov 27: In a joint search operation by the state and
the central security forces in the fringe and vulnerable areas of
the strife-torn Manipur, a huge cache of arms, ammunition and
explosives were recovered recently.
Police said that a combined team of Imphal East district police,
22 Assam Rifles, 18 Assam Rifles conducted a search operation
at P Geljang and P Thenjol of Kangpokpi district and Tiger Camp
of Imphal East district.
P Geljang and P Thenjol are villages within Kangpokpi district
but within the operational jurisdiction of Sagolmang police
station of Imphal East district.
During the search operation, the combined team detected a
cache of arms, ammunition and explosives in a gunny bag at a
bush. The police suspected it was concealed by armed
miscreants.
Upon checking, the gunny bag was found containing one US
Carbine with empty magazine, a SLR with one empty magazine,
two 9mm pistols with empty magazine, one .22 pistol with one
empty magazine, four hand grenades along with two bottles
suspected to be local made IEDs full of suspected charge with
attached codex wire, one piece of detonator and 16 pieces of
broken PEK.
In another operation in the fringe areas of Tamenglong-Jiribam
inter-district border, the security forces dismantled three
bunkers which were found erected in a village.
The operation was conducted by Tamenglong district police
along with 5th Manipur Rifles, 39 Assam Rifles and 87 th
battalion CRPF, the police also said.
The state police have been conducting joint operations with the
state and the central security forces in the fringe and
vulnerable areas of violent affected districts of the state to
recover looted arms, ammunition and explosives in the hands
of the civilians.
A total of 5,668 arms along with ammunition were also looted
during the initial stage of the violence. Of this, the police and
security force have so far recovered 1,329 arms and 15,050
rounds of ammunition. They also recovered 900 bombs.
Till the last week of September, the police had recovered about
a quarter of the arms and less than 5 percent of the
ammunition. (NNN)
