Manipur:
A large cache of arms, ammunition and explosives was recovered during multiple operations in the Imphal West, Imphal East and Churachandpur districts of Manipur.
One person carrying an assault rifle and a pistol was arrested during the operations.
A joint team of Manipur Police and the 33 Assam Rifles conducted a raid in the early hours of Wednesday and recovered a concealed cache of arms and ammunition from Ishok Mamang Leikai near Loktak Lake under Wangoi Police Station in Imphal West district.
In a separate operation on Tuesday, Manipur Police recovered a cache of weapons from the forest area of Gothol village under Churachandpur Police Station.
The recovered items included an INSAS rifle with a magazine, a locally made single-barrel firearm, five locally made hand grenades, 25 empty cartridge cases, nine live rounds of ammunition, a binocular, two 9 mm magazines, three Baofeng hand-held communication sets, and military gear, including chest pouches and helmets.
On the same day, security forces arrested 42-year-old Sanasam Ibocha alias Abocha Singh from his residence at Uyumpok Mamang Leikai under Sagolmang Police Station in Imphal East district.
An AK-56 rifle, a .32-calibre pistol with a magazine, and 27 rounds of AK-56 live ammunition were seized from his possession.
Another search operation in the forest area of K Thenjang village under Churachandpur Police Station led to the recovery of another significant cache of arms and explosives.
The seizure included an AK rifle with a magazine, a pistol, two single-barrel guns, two country-made pistols, an air gun, one RPG round, a hand grenade, five improvised explosive devices (IEDs), one PEK explosive, three pumps, four Motorola hand-held communication sets, two Motorola chargers, four bulletproof jackets, and 44 empty cartridge cases.
According to police, the recoveries are part of ongoing search and area domination operations being conducted across vulnerable areas of the state to trace illegal weapons and strengthen security.
Further investigation is underway to identify those linked to the recovered arms and explosives.
Meanwhile, security forces have launched massive combing operations in Manipur following the deadly bomb blast on an Assam Rifles convoy.
