Kohima/Imphal, Jun 27 (IANS): The security forces intercepted a vehicle in Kohima, which was headed to violence-hit Manipur, and recovered huge arms, ammunition, explosives and other war-like stores on Tuesday, defence sources said.

The sources said that acting upon specific intelligence input regarding attempts to smuggle weapons and explosives and other war-like stores to Manipur via Nagaland, a joint operation of Assam Rifles and Nagaland police was launched on Monday evening and the arms, ammunition, explosives wereseized.

The successful operationfoiled an attempt of a major incident by the inimical elements on the security forces and the government agencies deployed in Manipur, a defence release said.

Further details of the operation were awaited as the search operations were underway, the defence PRO said.

In Manipur, the security forces also installed more than a hundred checkpoints in different districts to tighten the security measures and to conduct searches in suspected vehicles.

During the violence in Manipur, which broke out on May 3, the militants, miscreants and mobs looted thousands of arms and lakhs of ammunition from various police stations and security posts.

The combined security forces in Manipur have so far recovered 1,100 looted arms, 13,702 pieces of various types of ammunition and 250 live bombs.