BY PC Burau
May 10: Imphal East district witnessed massive recoveries of arms, ammunition, and explosive materials during multiple security operations conducted over the last 24 hours, with forces recovering a powerful 13-kg Improvised Explosive Device (IED) along with a huge cache of weapons from different locations across the district.
Police said the operations, carried out jointly by Manipur Police, Assam Rifles, and CRPF personnel, foiled possible attempts by anti-social and insurgent elements to trigger violence in vulnerable foothill areas of Imphal East.
The most significant recovery was made from Nongmaijing Chingkhong under Irilbung police station, where security personnel detected and defused a concealed 13-kg IED during a search operation launched on the basis of specific intelligence inputs.
On 09.05.2026, security forces recovered from the foothill area of Nongmaijing Chingkhong under Irilbung-PS, Imphal East district, inter alia, the following:
i.01 (one) INSAS rifle with magazine,
ii.01 (one) .303 rifle,
iii.01 (one) .32 pistol,
iv.11 (eleven) hand grenades,
v.19… pic.twitter.com/sqVwAo1WTx— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) May 9, 2026
Equipped with metal detectors and sniffer dogs, the combined team combed the foothill region when the sniffer dog alerted forces to suspicious materials hidden inside dense bushes. Bomb disposal experts later recovered around 13 kg of IED explosive materials along with an explosive rod and safely neutralised the device.
Officials said an explosion of such magnitude could have caused devastating destruction and heavy casualties if detonated in a crowded area or near security installations.
The operation also led to the recovery of a major arms cache, including one INSAS rifle with a magazine, one .303 rifle, one .32 pistol, 11 hand grenades, 19 rounds of 2.1 mortar ammunition, two HE rounds, several INSAS and .303 LMG magazines, a walkie-talkie set, bulletproof jackets, helmets, and other tactical gear.
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In another operation conducted at Chingkhei Ching and adjoining foothill areas under Porompat police station, security forces recovered a 9 mm pistol, a .32 pistol, and 57 live rounds of ammunition of different calibres.
A separate search operation at Mongjam village and nearby foothill areas under Heingang police station resulted in the seizure of a 12-bore single-barrel gun, 15 live rounds of ammunition, four helmets, seven bulletproof jackets, eight bulletproof iron plates, a Baofeng wireless communication set, and two wireless set chargers.
No arrests have been made so far, police said, adding that investigations are underway to trace those responsible for stockpiling the weapons and explosives.
Security officials described the recoveries as one of the major arms hauls in Imphal East in recent weeks, highlighting continuing efforts by forces to dismantle militant infrastructure and prevent renewed violence in the state.
