Six militants, six drug peddlers arrested in Manipur; arms, narcotics recovered

Imphal, Aug 17 (IANS) Security forces in Manipur, in separate joint operations conducted across different districts, have arrested six militants, including a woman, belonging to various banned outfits and apprehended six drug peddlers, including a woman, during the past 24 hours, officials said here on Monday.

A senior police official said that the six militants were apprehended in Imphal East and Imphal West districts during coordinated operations conducted by the Manipur Police and Central forces, including the Assam Rifles.

The arrested militants belong to the banned People’s Defence Army, Manipur (PDA), People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and its political wing, the Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF), and the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK).

According to the police official, the arrested militants were reportedly involved in various unlawful activities, including attacks on people, kidnapping, forcible collection of “subscriptions” and recruitment of youths into the banned outfits. Security personnel recovered arms and ammunition, several incriminating documents, subscription receipts, cash, seals, letterheads of the banned outfits and other materials from the possession of the arrested militants.

In two separate operations conducted in tribal-inhabited areas of Tengnoupal district, which shares an unfenced border with Myanmar, and Jiribam district, which shares an inter-state border with southern Assam, the security forces also recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition.

The recovered weapons and ammunition included an AK-56 rifle, an INSAS Ex-Calibre rifle, two INSAS rifles, a magazine, three INSAS LMG magazines, four live rounds, three empty cases of 9 mm pistol ammunition and five rounds of 5.56 mm INSAS ammunition.

The security forces also arrested six drug peddlers, including a woman, from Kangpokpi and Imphal East districts. Huge quantities of heroin and opium, collectively valued at several crores of rupees, were recovered from their possession, the officials said.

Meanwhile, security forces comprising the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and the Manipur Police have continued extensive counter-insurgency operations, including search operations and area-domination exercises, in fringe, mixed-population and other vulnerable areas across the state. As part of the intensified security measures, 111 nakas and checkpoints have been set up across the valley and hill districts to monitor the movement of militants, anti-social elements and suspicious vehicles.

The security forces have also been providing armed escorts to trucks and other vehicles carrying essential commodities along the strategically important Imphal-Jiribam National Highway (NH-37). Strict security arrangements and convoy protection continue to remain in place along vulnerable stretches of the highway to ensure the safe and uninterrupted movement of passenger and goods vehicles, the officials said.

–IANS

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