In a significant development, Manipur Police, with the help of central security forces, discovered 67 arms, including 27 AK-series rifles and 11 US-made rifles, along with a large quantity of ammunition and explosives in operations conducted over the last 24 hours. Four hardcore militants from the United National Liberation Front-Pambei faction were apprehended during the operations in Imphal West district. Acting on reliable intelligence about the illegal sale of looted arms and ammunition in the Lamshang area, Manipur Police initiated a special operation in Lamdeng under the Lamshang police station jurisdiction.
Two active members of the UNLF-Pambei, Heishnam Thomas Singh, 29, and Arambam Tomtom Singh, 29, were captured during the operation, along with weapons and ammunition. The militants’ associates reportedly fired at security personnel during the arrests, leading to a brief exchange of gunfire. Following this, two more hardcore members involved in the firing incident were also taken into custody. The arrested militants revealed that they were instructed by a UNLF member to sell the seized weapons and admitted to previous illegal arms trading activities.
Based on the information obtained from the interrogation, a joint operation involving Manipur Police, Assam Rifles, and the CRPF was launched at an unauthorized UNLF militant camp in Lamdeng, resulting in the recovery of a substantial cache of arms and war-like materials. In a separate operation, security forces recovered an additional 38 weapons, including rifles, a sniper rifle, carbines, shotguns, mortars, and explosives. Police urged the public to report any information on looted or unlawfully possessed weapons to the authorities promptly.
