Security forces have confiscated a massive cache of guns, explosives, and ammunition from five strategic areas in Manipur as part of a significant operation against illicit weapon stockpiling. An official statement issued on Friday stated that the coordinated operation by the Indian Army, Assam Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Security Force (BSF), and Manipur Police was finished on Thursday. 24 firearms, grenades, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), ammunition, and warlike supplies were recovered as a result of the multi-agency operation.
The timely operation, according to authorities, was crucial in preventing the potential use of these firearms for illicit activities in the region. Five firearms, including a.303 rifle, a 7.62 mm Self-Loading Rifle (SLR), a single-barrel shotgun (SBBL), and two pistols, were taken from S Mongpi Ridge in Kangpokpi district on April 3. The site also yielded ammunition and other war-related goods. Eight weapons, including seven homemade mortars and a 12-bore single-barrel rifle, which posed a serious danger to local security, were taken in another operation in Twichin, Imphal East.
On April 2, security personnel found five more guns in Sajirok, Imphal West. They carried three handguns, an SBBL rifle, and an SLR. Security personnel had retrieved 2.3 kg of two IEDs and other military supplies from Kaprang in the Churachandpur district on March 31. In accordance with the relevant sections of the Indian Arms Act, police have filed First Information Reports (FIRs), and investigations are being conducted to identify the weapons’ provenance and the offenders.