Looted arms found with 5 held men : Govt

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Sep 19 : Additional Secretary (Home) M Pradeep has conveyed that the five persons who were arrested on September 16 from Kongba area were impersonating police by wearing the uniform of special commandos.
Speaking to the media at Police Headquarters at Babupara today, Pradeep continued that sophisticated weapons looted from police were also recovered from them (the five arrested).
There is also information of armed miscreants masquerading as special commandos and moving in vehicles with stickers/tags of Special CDO attached, he said and added that complaints of monetary demand and threats have also increased manifold amid the ongoing crisis in the State.
The police have taken serious note of these complaints and  are committed to ensure the safety of the public, he added.
Saying that the State police has also been conducting search operations in both hill and valley districts to arrest the armed miscreants actively involved in the ongoing conflict, M Pradeep informed that a large cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from Kholmun in Churachandpur on September 11 during a joint operation with the Central forces.
The recovered arms and ammunition include one M4 Assault Rifles with magazine and three rounds,  two 9mm pistols with a magazine and seven rounds, two country made  9mm pistols with a magazine, one country made carbine machine gun with a magazine, two single barrel rifles, two country made improvised mortars (pumpi), eight pieces of 38 mm rubber bullet, one Kenwood walkie talkie and one Baofeng Chinese walkie talkie, he added.
The senior Government official continued that they received  reports of armed miscreants indulging in crimes in Imphal East (9 cases), Imphal West (5 cases), Thoubal (3), Kakching (1) and Bishnupur (7) in the last one month.
He said that armed miscreants sexually assaulted a minor at  Tangkham Khuningthek on August 3 night while another group of armed miscreants entered the residence of an  individual at Pourabi Makha Leikai and threatened the inmates on August 22.
M Pradeep also said that a family at Kontha Ahallup Makha Leikai was threatened by six armed miscreants who intruded into their house on September 12 by placing a grenade while another armed group in four vehicles (Gypsy) abducted the manager of an oil pump located near Keikol outpost but he was released later.
He went on to state that five persons impersonating State commandos were arrested from Kongba on September 16 .
To a query, Commandant of 2nd Manipur Rifles Victoria Yengkhom said that security forces have been checking the camps of militant groups under SoO pact in hill districts.
She said that four SoO camps in Churachandpur and another one in Kangpokpi were inspected in the last 24 hours.
The MPS officer, however, said that police don't have a detailed report on who could have been the miscreants that have been attacking Meetei villages.