4 held for selling arms, ammunition snatched from police in violence-hit Manipur

The army and Assam Rifles have been conducting combing operations and retrieving weapons snatched from police amid the ethnic violence in Manipur

Four people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the sale of arms and ammunition snatched from police amid the ethnic violence in Manipur.

Security personnel patrol during a combing operation in Manipur. (AFP)

At least 3,500 weapons and over 500,000 ammunition are estimated to have been stolen since the violence was triggered on May 3. The violence has left at least 115 people dead and nearly 40,000 displaced. The army and Assam Rifles have been conducting combing operations and retrieving weapons.

In a statement on Monday, the Manipur Police said a 9mm carbine, a .22 pistol, an air pistol, two 5.56mm INSAS magazines, one .303 LMG magazine, 21 7.62 mm live ammunition were among the items recovered from the four Md Nursafi, 33, Md Hasan, 40, Md Rashid Ali, 50, and Md Sanayai, 46. It added the four were arrested based on an input.

Four bayonets were separately recovered from Heikrumakhong. The statement said two of the four received ₹6 lakhs in cash for selling the weapons. It reiterated an appeal for returning arms and ammunition snatched from police while warning against their sale.