Valley-based 'inter-state arms dealers' arrested in Manipur with US, Italy-made weapons

Guwahati: Amid efforts to end the conflict involving the Meitei and the Kukis, security forces in Manipur arrested four persons in the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley for allegedly running an inter-state gang of arms smugglers.

Manipur police said the four, belonging to the Meitei community, were arrested on Tuesday with at least 10 pistols, ammunition and others during an operation in Imphal. The accused have been identified as Sinam Somendro Metei, Lanchemba Nongthomba, RK. Abothe Singh and Bishwanath Thokchom.

They are residents of Imphal East and Imphal West districts. Out of the four, Sinam Somendra is a cadre of UNLF (Pambei), a Valley-based insurgent group, police said. The four included arms dealers, smugglers and middle men and were clandestinely supplying weapons to different states from Imphal, police said in a statement.

The weapons recovered from the four included the US-made Smith & Wesson 9mm pistols, Glocks and Italian-made Beretta pistols. More than 150 rounds of ammunition were also recovered from them, police said.

Significant haul

The recovery of the weapons is significant given the fact that Meitei organisations in the Valley have been blaming the Kukis more for smuggling of weapons and have been demanding a crackdown.

Soon after President's Rule was promulgated in February, security forces intensified drive against illegal weapons and those looted from the armouries in the valley during the conflict. More than 6,000 weapons were looted from security forces when the Meitei-Kuki conflict erupted in May 2023. But nearly half of them have still remained unrecovered.

The forces on June 16 recovered over 300 such weapons including INSAS and AK series rifles during operations in the five Valley districts. The forces have also been arresting cadres of various Valley-based insurgent groups almost daily for extortion and abduction.