Imphal, Aug 4 (IANS) With ten more militants of different banned outfits arrested during the past 24 hours, combined forces of military, paramilitary and state forces intensified their counterinsurgency operation to nab the armed extremists and to recover arms and ammunition in Manipur, officials said on Monday.

A police official said that ten militants arrested in three districts — Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur — belonged to various factions of Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK).

Security personnel recovered pistols and various materials, including several mobile handsets, various documents, and some ammunition from the possession of the arrested militants.

The arrested militants were involved in kidnapping, firing incidents, extortion, seeking monetary demands and collection of extortion money from schools located in the Imphal valley area.

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.

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

Meanwhile, to further strengthen policing capabilities, the Manipur government announced to set up a new police station in the state capital, Imphal and to create 12 posts of Sub Divisional Police Officers (SDPO) across nine districts of the state.

A senior police officer said that the strategic move is intended to bolster policing capabilities, improve supervision of investigation, and enhance overall law and order management in both existing and newly created districts for administrative convenience, a statement from the police headquarters said.

–IANS

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