Indian Army, BSF, and Manipur Police personnel pose with the arms recovered during the operation. (India Sentinels photo via special arrangement.)
Imphal/Kohima: In a joint operation, the Indian Army, Border Security Force, and the Manipur Police successfully recovered a substantial cache of arms and ammunition in Imphal East district. The operation, carried out in the Bonjang Hill Range, on Monday, targeted areas known to harbour weapons used in local unrest.
According to authorities in the state, acting on intelligence, the security forces conducted thorough searches in both hill and valley regions, leading to the discovery of illegal arms.
The seized weapons included a 7.62mm bolt-action sniper rifle fitted with a 9x scope, a heavy-calibre mortar launcher, a .32-calibre pistol with a magazine, and a single-barrel 12-bore shotgun. Additionally, the team uncovered explosives, comprising a 2.5-kilogram container, 25 live rounds of ammunition, and a China-made Baofeng radio set, which is typically used by militant groups for communication. These war-like stores, believed to have been used in recent violent incidents, have been handed over to the Manipur Police for further investigation and disposal.
Alongside the weapons recovery, the security forces also apprehended a member of the proscribed Meitei terrorist outfit Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), which is linked to extortion and insurgent activities in the state.
This operation is part of a series of ongoing efforts to curb the activities of miscreants and insurgents in the state that has witnessed civil unrest and insurgent activities in recent months. Earlier over the weekend, similar operations led to the recovery of a significant number of arms, ammunition, and explosives from several districts, including Churachandpur.
This joint operation is seen as a renewed effort to curb the ethnic strife that started in May 2023 between members of the Meitei community and Kuki-Zo tribespeople, which had escalated significantly in recent weeks after the two factions started using rockets and drones to attack each other.
