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Manipur: 15 militants, including minor, arrested; 15 assault rifles, 7 explosives seized
Police said 15 automatic assault rifles, 100 live INSAS rounds, ₹1 lakh in cash, and four four-wheeler vehicles were seized during the operation.
Security forces, along with Manipur Police, arrested 15 militants, including a 17-year-old, belonging to two banned underground organisations in separate operations, and recovered seven explosives, including an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade), in Manipur’s Churachandpur district, officials said on Monday.
According to an official statement, Manipur Police on Sunday, acting on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of militants, launched a counter-insurgency operation in the Haokha area under Nongpok Sekmai police station in Thoubal district.
During the operation, 14 cadres of the banned underground outfit United National Liberation Front (Koireng faction) were detained and arrested from the spot.
The United National Liberation Front (UNLF) is among the oldest banned insurgent groups in Manipur, seeking restoration of the state’s sovereignty, driven by dissatisfaction over the 1949 Merger Agreement, concerns over identity, and perceived political and economic neglect.
Police said 15 automatic assault rifles, 100 live INSAS rounds, ₹1 lakh in cash, and four four-wheeler vehicles were seized during the operation.
A senior police official described the operation as a major success. “This is one of the biggest counter-insurgency operations by combined central and state forces and a significant achievement. Similar operations will continue to crack down on militants across the state,” the officer said.
A case has been registered for further legal action.
In a separate operation, security forces arrested an active cadre of the banned underground outfit People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Pro) from his residence.
Meanwhile, security forces also recovered seven explosives, including one RPG grenade and seven live rounds of ammunition, from the K Geljang area in Churachandpur district.
