14 militants, three arms dealers held in Manipur crackdown

Imphal, May 14 (IANS) Combined security forces in Manipur have arrested 14 militants of different outfits and apprehended three illegal arms dealers, officials said on Wednesday.

A police official said that the 14 militants were arrested from four districts - Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Tengnoupal in the past 24 hours.

The 14 militants belong to four different banned extremist outfits -- Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), People's Liberation Army (PLA), People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP).

According to the police official, the guerrillas were involved in abduction, various crimes, forcible collection of money from contractors, traders, government employees, common men and others.

Some arms and ammunition, Aadhaar cards, some incriminating documents and various other materials were recovered from the 14 arrested militants.

He also said that three arms dealers, including an active cadre of the proscribed United National Liberation Front (Pambei group), were also arrested by the security forces from Puhkhao Ahallup Makha Leikai in Imphal East district.

The arrested persons are involved in the illicit trafficking and transaction of illegal arms and ammunition in the Imphal East district. The security forces arrested them when the trio purportedly waited for another arms smuggler/buyer to sell some arms and ammunition at a cost of Rs 3.5 lakh.

The arms and ammunition recovered from the possession of three arrested arms dealers include one INSAS rifle with a magazine, eight numbers of 7.62 mm rifle ammunition, three mobile phones, two Aadhaar cards and other items.

Amid the ethnic violence in Manipur, which began on May 3, 2023, theft of a large number of cars and two-wheelers was reported, and more than 165 stolen cars and 35 two-wheelers have been recovered since April 16 from different places in the state.

The Manipur Police launched a special drive on April 16 for the recovery of stolen/snatched vehicles. The combined security forces have continued search operations and area domination in the fringe and vulnerable areas of hill and valley districts.

--IANS

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