Imphal, April 29: Security forces gunned down a senior leader of the People?s Liberation Army (PLA), the militant wing of the Revolutionary People?s Front (RPF), near Loktak lake this morning.

A combined team of police and army shot dead 33-year-old Nongmeikapam Punshiba in a pre-dawn offensive at Laphupat Tera of Imphal West district. It subsequently smashed two militant camps located in the nearby lake area following a search.

Imphal West superintendent of police Clay Khongsai said the encounter occurred while the team was conducting a search operation at Laphupat Tera, an extension of Loktak lake, at 2 am.

The team recovered a 9mm pistol with five rounds of ammunition from the slain rebel. The militants camping there fled before the security personnel arrived.

The police and the army later recovered a large quantity of ammunition, combat uniforms, two wireless sets, six detonators, an improvised explosive device and other materials. The police, however, could not identify the group that was camping there.

NLFT ambush: The militant National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) gunned down four persons, including one civilian driver, and injured eight civilians in an ambush at Karnamuni para under Gandacherra sub-division of Tripura?s Dhalai district this afternoon, reports our Agartala correspondent.

The condition of four of the eight injured persons admitted to the G.B. Hospital in Agartala was critical.

Senior police officials rushed to the spot with reinforcements.

The convoy attacked by the rebels comprised district administration staff, who were returning from a health camp at Jatindra para, and CRPF and TSR personnel as escorts.

TSR lance naik Kishore Debbarma, CRPF jawan Shibraj Chauhan and driver Moni Ghosh died on the spot.

The CRPF and TSR jawans retaliated and shot dead NLFT rebel Paitya Debbarma.