Manipur police recover grenades, rifles and pistols in twin security operations

A substantial cache of weapons and explosives was recovered during coordinated security operations across two districts of Manipur on December 24, highlighting continued concerns over illegal arms circulation in the state.

In Imphal West district, security forces carried out a search in the adjoining areas of Lambal and Haorang Keirel under the Lamsang police station and seized a large assortment of arms and ammunition. The recovery included a single-barrel gun, three pistols with magazines, three bolt-action rifles, seven white phosphorus grenades and one high-explosive grenade fitted with a detonator.

Also found were 23 mini flare cartridges, eight 12-bore cartridges, 28 live rounds of assorted calibres, an empty 7.62 SLR cartridge case, and two Baofeng radio sets with a charger.

On the same day, another operation was conducted in the foothill area of Thangjing forest under the Churachandpur police station in Churachandpur district.

From the site, forces recovered an eight-foot-long pumpi, 12 pumpi shells, nine empty 7.62×39 cartridge cases, a modified MP5 rifle with a magazine, ammunition for the weapon, and a country-made single-barrel rifle.

Security officials said the recoveries were part of ongoing efforts to locate and neutralise illegal arms dumps in sensitive areas. Further investigation is underway to identify those linked to the recovered weapons and to determine how long the arms had been concealed at the sites.