Imphal, July 24 (IANS) With ten militants of various banned outfits arrested during the past 24 hours, joint central and state forces intensified their counterinsurgency operation to nab the armed extremists.

A senior police official said the ten militants arrested in six districts – Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Kakching, Tengnoupal and Tamenglong — belong to Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Out of ten militants, one each active cadre of PREPAK and PLA outfits was arrested from the Tengnoupal district, which shares an unfenced border with Myanmar.

Various materials, including mobile handsets, various documents, some arms and ammunition and huge Indian currencies were recovered from the possession of the arrested militants.

The police official said that joint teams of Manipur Police, Army, Assam Rifles, Border Security Force (BSF), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) continued their search and counter-insurgency operations both in valley and mountainous regions.

Meanwhile, the security forces have yet to arrest anyone in connection with the fratricide incident on July 22 in Manipur’s Noney district, in which at least five cadres of a militant group were killed in a fierce gun battle on July 22.

According to police, in an intra-group fight of a militant outfit, at least five militants were killed at Daveijang jungle areas near Longpi village in Noney district of western Manipur.

The gun battle took place among the cadres of the Chin Kuki Mizo Army (CKMA), which has not signed any Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the government.

Manipur Police have once again cautioned people against spreading rumours and fake videos and appealed to people not to believe in rumours and be vigilant about fake videos.

The veracity of any videos, audio clips, etc., can be confirmed by the Central Control Room, a police statement said.

The police said that there are possibilities of many fake posts being circulated on social media.

“It is hereby cautioned that uploading and circulation of such fake posts on social media would attract legal action with consequences.

Further, an appeal is made to the public to return the looted arms, ammunition and explosives to the police or nearest security forces immediately,” the statement said.

–IANS

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