Daijiworld Media Network - Imphal
Imphal, Sep 25: Three Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were safely destroyed during a joint operation by security forces in Manipur's Ukhrul district, the Army said on Friday.
In separate operations, four alleged militants belonging to different banned outfits were arrested from three districts of the state. Arms and ammunition, including foreign-made weapons, were also recovered from their possession.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, troops of the Spear Corps, in coordination with the Assam Rifles and Manipur Police, detected three IEDs in Ukhrul district.
According to the Army, the explosives had been planted with complex initiation mechanisms and posed a potential threat to civilian life and property.
Security forces first sanitised the area before carrying out a controlled in-situ demolition of the IEDs, thereby eliminating the threat, the Army said.
The operation highlighted the vigilance and operational preparedness of the security forces, as well as coordination among the Army, Assam Rifles and Manipur Police, it added.
The joint action forms part of continuing efforts by security forces and law enforcement agencies to prevent militant activities and maintain peace and stability in the state.
A Manipur Police official said four alleged militants associated with the People's Liberation Army (PLA), its political wing Revolutionary People's Front (RPF), and the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) were arrested from Imphal West, Bishnupur and Kakching districts.
The arrested persons were identified as Phandom Dinesh Singh, 38, alias Thembung and Wangba; Aheibam Silan Meitei, 34; Okram Gobin Meitei, 25; and Sanjenbam Abung Singh, 49, alias Krishna.
Security forces recovered arms and ammunition, including foreign-made weapons, from the arrested persons.
The recoveries included two Chinese hand grenades along with a detonator and a Glock 19 pistol with a magazine containing five rounds. One two-wheeler was also seized.
Meanwhile, Central and state security forces continue to conduct extensive operations against militant groups across Manipur.
Search operations and area-domination exercises are being carried out in fringe, mixed-population and vulnerable areas across various districts.
A total of 116 nakas and checkpoints have been established across the state, covering both valley and hill districts, to prevent the illegal movement of suspected militant elements and suspicious vehicles.
Security forces are also providing escorts to vehicles, including trucks transporting essential commodities, along the Imphal-Jiribam National Highway (NH-37).
Strict security arrangements and convoy protection measures remain in place along sensitive stretches of the highway to ensure the safe movement of vehicles.