Manipur outfit’s hideout busted after loot; arms, ammunition recovered

Manipur Police said a hideout of the banned Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) was busted following the loot of arms and a cache of weapons and explosives was recovered

Around 30 armed men attacked a police outpost at Kakmayai in ethnic violence hit Manipur’s Thoubal district on Friday night and looted nine firearms before one of the attackers was detained and led police to their hideouts where eight of the looted weapons were recovered apart from a large cache of arms and ammunition, police said.

A police team with recoveries. (X)

Manipur Police said a hideout of the banned Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) was busted following the loot of arms and “a significant cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosives was recovered”. In a statement late on Sunday, police said around 30 armed men equipped with sophisticated weapons attacked the police outpost, overpowered the personnel on duty, and looted six Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs) and three AK rifles before fleeing.

The statement said one of the assailants, Hijam Ningthem Singh, was caught and helped police recover three AK rifles and five SLRs from Ngamukhong foothills in Imphal East. It added security forces followed up with combing operations in Ningel, Malom, Toubul, and Langathel and busted a KCP hideout in Langathel Chingkhong leading to further recoveries.

The statement said 48 live rounds of INSAS and AK ammunition, 25 empty cartridges of assorted ammunition, eleven 36-HE grenades, two aiming rings, two tube launchers, one carbine SMG magazine with three live rounds, one stun shell, a Nikon binocular, seven shoulder badges of the KCP, a car, five bulletproof vests, four bulletproof plates, three armoured helmets, military fatigues were among the items seized.

An AK-56 rifle, an SMG carbine, three single-barrel guns, six tear smoke shells, six 36-HE grenades, and four improvised explosive devices were recovered in a separate operation in the Bishnupur district.

Weapons and ammunition have been repeatedly looted since ethnic violence between the dominant Metei and Kuki communities was triggered in Manipur in May 2023. Over 250 have been killed and thousands displaced in the state.

The Manipur Police said it also busted a hideout of the outlawed National Revolutionary Front Manipur in Telou Makha Leikai in Imphal East and arrested seven people allegedly involved in extortion, arms trade, and other illegal activities. Four assault rifles were among the weapons seized.

An alleged illegal arms smuggler was arrested from Porompat in Imphal East on Saturday. Police said that he was involved in extortion.