Imphal, July 26 (IANS) In a significant development, the security forces in joint operation have recovered 90 arms and around 728 different types of ammunition in restive Manipur, an official said on Saturday.

The recovery of arms on Saturday is another major breakthrough of the security forces within one and a half months.

A senior police official said that in the early hours of Saturday, on the basis of specific Intelligence reports regarding the presence of a large cache of arms and ammunition stashed in different areas of five Imphal valley districts, simultaneous search operations were launched at different locations.

He 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) recovered a large cache of arms and a huge number of ammunition and war-like stores from the five Imphal Valley districts of Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching.

Of the 90 arms recovered, five are INSAS rifles, four are Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs), followed by three AK series rifles, seven 303 rifles, 20 pistols, four carbines, eight rifles, 20 SBBL and Bore Action rifles, three anti-riot guns, and remaining different types of weapons.

The recovered ammunition includes 21 grenades, explosives, mortar shells, tube launching, and Improvised Explosive Devices.

Forty-one assorted magazines and six wireless handsets were also recovered during the operations.

According to the police official, 21 assorted magazines and 24 wireless handsets were also recovered along with the arms and ammunition.

A police statement said that these continued intelligence-led operations represent a major accomplishment for the Manipur Police and the security forces in their continued mission to restore peace, uphold public order, and safeguard the lives and property of citizens.

“The Manipur Police reaffirms its commitment to fostering a peaceful and secure Manipur. The public is urged to cooperate with the Police and Security Forces and to promptly report any suspicious activity or information related to illegal arms to the nearest police station or the Central Control Room,” it said.

According to the statement, senior police officials remain in close coordination with all security stakeholders to ensure that such operations continue in a sustained and focused manner, aimed at restoring normalcy, maintaining public order, and safeguarding the lives and property of all citizens.

Saturday’s arms recovery is the fourth major success of the security forces within one and a half months.

On July 15, the security forces in joint operation recovered 86 arms and around 974 different types of ammunition from Manipur’s five Imphal valley districts — Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching.

On July 4, the security forces in joint operations recovered 203 arms, mostly sophisticated and around 160 different types of ammunition from four hill districts — Tengnoupal, Kangpokpi, Chandel, and Churachandpur.

Earlier on June 14, security forces in joint operations recovered 328 arms and around 9,300 different types of ammunition from five Imphal Valley districts — Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching.

–IANS

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