Manipur police recover 17 assault rifles, other weapons buried inside a cowshed

Manipur police recovered a large cache of weapons including 17 assault rifles buried inside a cowshed in Thoubal district on Sunday.

The weapons were recovered from inside of a cowshed at Huikap Awang Leikai area, where a search was carried out on Sunday based on the revelation of a suspected member of UNLF, a banned militant group in Manipur. "The weapons were found concealed in a 500 litre plastic water tank, which was buried inside a cowshed," Thoubal superintendent of police, Jogeshchandra Haobijam, told reporters in Imphal.

Two other persons were also arrested following the recovery of the weapons.

The recovered weapons included 13 AK-56 rifles with magazines, one AK-86 rifle, one AK-81 rifle, one M-16 rifle, one RPG launcher, one RPG shell, over 200 rounds of ammunition, among others.

The operation is seen as a major success against insurgents in light of the November 13 attacks when a colonel of Assam Rifles, his wife, son and four other jawans were killed by militants in Churachandpur district.

Two insurgent groups, People's Liberation Army and Manipur Naga People's Front, claimed responsibility for the attack. The attack invited a lot of criticism to the BJP-led government ahead of Assembly elections slated next year.

Chief Minister N. Biren Singh lauded the Thoubal police team and announced Rs. 10 lakh as a reward for the successful operation. Singh said he would also recommend their names for service recommendations.

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