Manipur police and central forces have recovered 328 firearms and a vast cache of ammunition during joint operations in the valley districts of Manipur on the intervening night of June 13 and 14.

This is the largest seizure since the eruption of ethnic violence in the state on May 3, 2023.

According to a statement from Manipur police headquarters, read out by ADGP Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo at a media conference in Imphal on Saturday, the weapons were recovered from the outskirts of Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching districts based on “specific intelligence” inputs.

The haul includes 151 self-loading rifles (SLRs), 65 INSAS rifles, 73 other rifles, 12 light machine guns (LMGs), six AK-series rifles, five carbines, two MP5 guns, two Amogh rifles, one AR-15, two flare guns, one mortar, six pistols and two barrels. A total of 591 magazines, 3,534 SLR rounds, 2,186 INSAS rounds, 2,252 .303 rounds, 234 AK rounds, 407 Amogh rounds, 20 9mm rounds, 10 grenades, three lathodes, seven detonators and three para rounds were also recovered.

The statement described the recovery as “a major achievement” in the ongoing efforts to restore normalcy and urged public cooperation in reporting suspicious activity or illegal arms.

Senior police officers said the recovery was the largest so far amid continuing daily seizures of arms and ammunition. The security agencies remain concerned about the law-and-order implications of the over 6,000 weapons and six lakh rounds looted from armouries across the hills and valley districts during the initial phases of the conflict.

Some weapons were also recovered following a seven-day surrender window in February 2024, set by governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla. On the final day of the window, radical Meitei group Arambai Tenggol voluntarily surrendered 246 arms at the 1st Manipur Rifles campus in Imphal West.

Officials said the joint operations would continue in a focused manner, and possession of illegal arms beyond the February deadline would attract strict legal action.