In a series of joint operations in Manipur, the Army and other central and state security forces have arrested 23 extremists of different outfits and recovered 40 types of arms, grenades, ammunition and other war-like stores from eight districts, officials said on Monday.
A Defence spokesman said that the well-coordinated joint operations resulted in the arrest of 23 cadres from various hill and valley-based militant outfits.He said that the joint operations were conducted during the past few days in the districts of Kangpokpi, Thoubal, Kakching, Tengnoupal, Bishnupur, Jiribam, Imphal East and Imphal West.
The Army during the operations used specialised resources like Explosive Detection Dogs.From Imphal East district, the security forces recovered five Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) connected in tandem with a total of 35 kg of explosives.
The arms recovered in these joint operations include Self Loading Rifle (SLR), M16 rifle, sten machine gun, INSAS rifle, .303 rifle, double-barrel rifle, single-barrel rifles, action Rifle, Improvised Mortars, Pull Mechanism Rifles, mortars, heavy calibre launchers and 9 mm pistols.
The apprehended militants and the recovered arms, ammunition, explosives and other items have been handed over to Manipur Police.These coordinated efforts by security forces highlight their unwavering commitment to maintaining peace and security in Manipur, the spokesman pointed out.
Meanwhile, the situation in Imphal valley region, comprising five districts, according to the police, remained tense but under control.Fresh trouble started in Manipur’s valley region on Saturday night after the arrest of a leader of the Meitei radical outfit Arambai Tenggol.
Arambai Tenggol leader Ashem Kanan Singh (46) was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Imphal for his criminal activities which include several acts of grave nature and involvement in unlawful activities and criminal cases registered against him, a police statement had said on Sunday.
According to the statement, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also arrested three insurgents in a case related to a deadly attack on security forces that had killed two police commandos and injured several others in Moreh under Tengnoupal district on January 17 last year.