Security forces recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition, including 203 weapons and 30 IEDs, from four hill districts in strife-hit Manipur during searches between Thursday night and Friday morning.

This is the second major arms haul in less than a month, reflecting the widespread availability of illegal arms with a section of the public despite the appeal by the state governor in February to surrender illegal and looted arms, posing a serious challenge to law enforcing agencies in the state which is currently under President’s rule.

The search operation led to the recovery of 203 weapons, including various types of rifles, pistols and grenade launchers.

A similar coordinated operation by Manipur Police and central forces in five Meitei-majority valley districts on June 13-14 had led to the biggest arms recovery since the ethnic conflict between the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zos began on May 3, 2023.

Last month’s haul included 328 guns/rifles, including 151 SLRs and 65 Insas besides 3534 rounds of SLRs, 2186 rounds of Insas rifles.

The five valley districts are Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching.

Over 6,000 arms and over six lakh ammunition have been looted in phases from both the valley and the hill districts following the outbreak of the ongoing ethnic conflict.

Sharing details of the haul on Friday, Manipur Police said in a statement that security forces launched coordinated operations simultaneously “at multiple sites in the interior and suspected areas of Tengnoupal, Kangpokpi, Chandel and Churachandpur districts by joint teams comprising of Manipur Police, Assam Rifles, Army and CAPFs”.

While Tengnoupal, Kangpokpi and Churachandpur are Kuki-Zo majority districts, Chandel is a Naga-majority district.

Police said the operations resulted in the recovery of arms, ammunition, explosives, and other “warlike stores”, including 21 Insas Rifles, 11 AK series rifles, 26 SLRs and two sniper rifles, two MA assault rifles, three M 79 grenade launchers, nine pistols — including three country-made, and four muzzle-loaded rifles.

The haul also included 109 rounds of ammunition, 30 IEDs, ten grenades, nine Pompi shells and two lathode grenades.

“These intelligence-based coordinated operations in the hill districts represent a significant achievement for the Manipur Police, Assam Rifles/Army and Central Security Forces in their ongoing efforts to restore normalcy, maintain public order and ensure the safety and security of citizens and their property,” the police statement said.

Urging public to cooperate with security forces, the statement said senior police officials are “in close coordination with all security stakeholders to ensure such operations continue in a sustained and focused manner, aimed at restoring normalcy, maintaining public order and safeguarding the lives and property of all citizens.”

Manipur, which witnessed the killing of at least 263 people in ethnic violence since May 2023. The strife between the Meitei and Kuki communities also rendered thousands of people homeless, forcing them to stay in relief camps.