Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Imphal: Security forces pulled an AK-56 rifle and a stash of ammo from the ground in Jiribam district on August 15. The gear turned up during a search mission near Khozoul and Choudhrikhal. These areas fall under the jurisdiction of the Borobekra Police Station.
Personnel combed the area as part of an ongoing security sweep. The haul included one AK-56 rifle, one magazine, four live rounds, and three empty 9 mm pistol casings. Authorities took the weapons into custody for testing. They want to know where the hardware came from and who planned to pull the trigger.
Officials are looking for links to local armed groups or criminal outfits. The recovery remains a big deal for the vulnerable region. A security official noted, "The recovery of the assault rifle and ammunition is significant amid continued security operations in vulnerable areas of the district." Police and security teams are keeping the investigation open. More details will drop once they finish the follow-up work.
Updated at 17th August 2026 at 1:48pm
This recovery sits within a broader state operation. Between August 9 and 16, security forces arrested nine insurgents linked to groups including the PLA, UPPK, and UKNA across the Thoubal, Kakching, and Churachandpur districts. Those raids yielded a massive haul of 2,156 rounds of ammunition, 1.5 kilograms of plastic explosives, and assorted rifles. Meanwhile, an India Reserve Battalion patrol recently cleared out a separate cache near the Sehken-Khuga Dam in Churachandpur, seizing a homemade mortar and communication gear.
Police also booked several militants in Imphal West over the weekend. Officers collared two PLA members, K. Lanchenba Meitei and Greatson Lourembam, along with a UNLF-Koireng cadre identified as Ngangom Shanta Meitei. Authorities are sifting through intelligence from these busts to map out the financial channels and extortion networks fueling the local insurgency.
Updated at 17th August 2026 at 6:00pm
The crackdown reached beyond insurgency last week. On August 14, a joint operation in Churachandpur netted 26-year-old Nemneihoi Touthang with 2.6 kilograms of heroin packed into 197 soap cases. That same day in Imphal East, police rounded up five men—Ramesh Bhattarai, Tej Bahadur Bhandari, Raju Bhattarai, Abisek Karki, and Mahesh Rizal—after finding 1.015 kilograms of raw opium and multiple vehicles used for transport.
Authorities also tightened the screws on local cells. Police arrested Adhikarimayum Sarita Devi, a 39-year-old active member of the RPF/PLA, in Imphal West on August 11. Three days later, they grabbed Md Amirkhan, a 44-year-old extortionist working for the People's Democratic Alliance, in Kshetrigao. Additional hardware surfaced on August 15 in Senam village, where police and the 21 Assam Rifles seized an INSAS Ex-Calibre rifle, two INSAS rifles, three magazines, and five rounds of ammunition.
Updated at 18th August 2026 at 1:50pm
The crackdown uncovered more than just insurgency hardware. Investigators seized a stolen orange Honda Dio and an unregistered two-wheeler in separate intercepts. In Kangpokpi, narcotics police opened a case against Manikumar Sunari for smuggling codeine-based cough syrup, adding to the growing list of drug-related busts.
Intelligence from the recent wave of arrests is pulling back the curtain on insurgent logistics. Officials identified the specific hardware seized in the mass operations between August 9 and 16, detailing an AK-47, a .303 Light Machine Gun with an extra barrel, four single-barrel weapons, and 14 detonators. The net also widened in Imphal West, where authorities nabbed two additional PLA suspects, Khumanthem Lanchenba Meitei and Greatson Lourembam, alongside the previously reported arrests.
The operations were spread thin across multiple jurisdictions. Security teams processed the detainees and evidence through police stations in Sugnu, Waikhong, Hiyanglam, Wangoo, and Arong. Defense officials confirmed the coordinated efforts are designed to choke out extortion networks and secure civilian zones by disrupting militant supply lines.
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