Daijiworld Media Network - Imphal
Imphal, Oct 20: Manipur Police, in coordination with central security forces, have intensified joint search and intelligence-based operations following violence in Kangpokpi district that claimed three lives and injured four others, leading to the arrest of three suspected militants, a senior police official said on Tuesday.
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order/Intelligence) Lhari Dorje said preliminary investigations indicated that two of the three arrested persons had reportedly admitted to being part of the assault team. Further investigation is underway to identify other persons involved in Monday's attack.
Based on disclosures made by the arrested accused, security forces recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition from mountainous areas, Dorje told the media.
The recovered weapons included an INSAS rifle, an M16 rifle, an A1 rifle, an AK-47-type rifle, a 7.62 mm sniper rifle, a Heckler and Koch 5.56 mm rifle, three 12-bore single-barrel guns, a lethod gun and a handmade rocket launcher, among other items.
The total recovery comprised 12 firearms, 1,095 live rounds of various calibres, explosives and other items, officials said.
In a separate operation conducted on Tuesday near Sinai Camp, a designated Suspension of Operations (SoO) camp, security personnel detained 17 individuals for verification after their identities did not match the listed cadres of the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) associated with the camp.
Security forces are also investigating reports of missing ammunition and magazines.
Dorje said senior officers of Manipur Police and the combined security forces had conducted helicopter surveillance, while search and other operations continued.
Meanwhile, in connection with the Khangabok-Sangaiyumpham case, a joint team of Thoubal Police and central security personnel searched around 146 houses and verified more than 300 individuals in the Sangaiyumpham-Cherapur area.
Four suspects were detained during the operation, of whom two have been formally arrested. A double-barrel gun was also seized and sent for forensic examination, the ADGP said.
According to a police statement, suspected armed militants opened fire on a group of around 14 villagers who had gone to collect firewood at Khongbal Tangkhul, under Sagolmang police station in Kangpokpi district, on Monday. Three villagers belonging to the Meitei community succumbed to bullet injuries, while four others were injured in the firing.
In a separate incident, one person was killed and several others injured in clashes between members of two communities in Thoubal district on Sunday. The violence prompted the authorities to impose prohibitory orders in two affected areas.
Manipur Police appealed to the public to remain calm, refrain from taking the law into their own hands and avoid circulating unverified information or rumours on social media. People were also urged to cooperate with security forces and report suspicious activities to the nearest police station or the Central Control Room.