8 from banned underground outfits arrested with arms, explosives: Manipur police

According to the statement, the arrest were made in different areas including Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Kakching and Tengnoupal district

Security forces and Manipur police in the last 24 hours arrested eight persons of different banned underground outfit and recovered a cache of arms, ammunitions and a suspected 4.6kg improvised explosive device (IED), said a police statement on Saturday.

According to the statement, the arrest were made in different areas including Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Kakching and Tengnoupal district, besides Silchar in Assam.

The arrested included two cadres of Socialist Revolutionary Party, Kangleipak from Kakching district, United National Liberation Front-Pambei faction (UNLF-P) arrested in Silchar, Assam; two People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) cadre from Moreh, Tengnoupal district, and cadres of Revolutionary People’s Front- People’s Liberation Army (RPF/PLA), Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) (Apunba) faction and Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL).

The UNLF (P) cadre, Akoj am Shankar Singha, 47, was arrested from his residence in Silchar. Police said he was involved in extorting money from truck drivers travelling along NH-37 between Silchar and Imphal at various locations in Jiribam town, the statement stated.

Meanwhile, arms cache recovered from Khema Reserved Forest near Napet Palli in Imphal East included four 9mm pistols with magazines, two single-barrel guns, 14 grenades, 162 live rounds of different calibres, 26 empty cases and two magazines.

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Security forces also recovered two stun shells, a rubber bullet and military fatigues, including a bullet proof iron plate, bullet proof jacket cover, ammunition charger and communication set.

Police said intelligence-based search, cordon and area-domination operations were continuing across the state to apprehend people involved in extortion and other criminal activities.