Imphal, March 28 (IANS) Continuing its operation against the militants’ activities in Manipur, security forces nabbed seven more militants belonging to different proscribed outfits from different districts during the past 24 hours, an official said on Friday.

A police official said that besides the seven militants, a large cache of arms and ammunition were also recovered from Kakching, Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur and Thoubal districts.

The arrested militants belonged to PREPAK, different factions of Kangleipak Communist Party.

The arrested militants were involved in abduction, forcible collection of money from traders, officials, contractors, and issuing threat notices to people. The Manipur Police have arrested six militants of different outfits and seized a cache of arms and ammunition on Wednesday and Thursday.

The official said that a big cylindrical shaped Improvised Explosive Device weighing 11 kg along with a large cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from Imphal East district.

The recovered arms and ammunition include Carbine machine gun, Excalibur rifle, .303 sniper rifle, foreign made pistols, 9 mm pistol with magazine, automatic single-barrelled gun, hand grenades with detonators, .303 LMG, INSAS rifles, LMG magazines, foreign made grenades, radio wireless set. Security forces also dismantled two bunkers and burnt down the remnants to ashes in Kangpokpi district.

Police said that the Assam Rifles along with Manipur Police and Border Security Force destroyed 20 acres of illegal poppy cultivation in Khudai Khullen, Chelep in Tengnoupal District.

This action strikes a major blow against narco-terrorism reinforcing the commitment to a drug-free society, the official said. Manipur Police arrested three drug peddlers from Imphal East district and recovered 10.5 kg of heroin valued at Rs 3.15 crore from their possession. The drugs, suspected to be smuggled from Myanmar, were contained in 880 soap cases. A car in which the smugglers were travelling was also seized.

Manipur has around 400 km of unfenced border with Myanmar.

–IANS

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