12 looted weapons, large cache of ammunition recovered in Manipur

Imphal, Oct 30 Security forces in Manipur recovered 12 looted sophisticated arms and a large cache of ammunition and other explosive materials during the past 24 hours, officials said on Monday.

The police said that the combined security forces during their ongoing operation recovered the arms and ammunition from Imphal East and Churachandpur districts.

The recovered arms included Point 303 and Point 22 rifles, carbines as well as 56 hand grenades, mortar and tear smoke shells, and large quantities of various types of country-made weapons.

The police also arrested a cadre of Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) militant outfit from Imphal West District.

A mobile handset, a bike and cash amounting to Rs 50,000 were recovered from him. The KCP is a Maoist militant group which is active in Manipur for many decades.

The combined security forces also dismantled six illegally set up bunkers by the village guards and others in Imphal East district.

According to the police, 5,669 different types of sophisticated arms and lakhs of rounds of ammunition were looted by different organisations, mobs and individuals after the ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3.

So far, the security forces have recovered around one fourth of the looted arms and ammunition from different districts.

--IANS