Imphal: Manipur Police have arrested three people in connection with the October 19 attack at Sunulok Hill that killed three firewood collectors and injured three others, and recovered 12 firearms, 1,095 rounds of ammunition and a cache of explosives.
At a press briefing at the police headquarters on Tuesday, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo said two of the arrested had admitted during preliminary interrogation to being part of the assault team. The role of the third is being investigated.
Joint teams of Manipur Police, the CRPF and CoBRA launched search operations on Monday evening in the S Highland Court area and neighbouring villages under Sagolmang police station. The weapons were recovered on the disclosures of the accused, Lhatoo said.
The seizure included one INSAS rifle, one M16 rifle, an A1 rifle, an AK-47/Type-81 rifle, a 7.62 mm sniper rifle, a 5.56 mm Heckler & Koch rifle, three 12-bore single-barrel guns, a Lethod gun and a handmade rocket launcher. Explosives recovered included TNT slabs, PK explosive, gunpowder, locally made Pompi bombs, M61 rifle grenades, a Chinese hand grenade, handmade mortars and three detonators.
In a separate operation, 17 people were detained for verification at the Sinai camp after their identities did not match lists of Kuki National Organisation and Kuki Liberation Army cadres. In another operation in the Khangabok-Sangaiyumpham area, two people were formally arrested.
After the attack, protesters took the victims' bodies to the Chief Minister's residence in Imphal and demanded immediate action. A local MLA called for the removal of a nearby Suspension of Operations (SoO) camp. Lhatoo said ammunition and magazines were found missing from the Sinai camp.
Director General of Police Mukesh Singh visited the site of the attack. Lhatoo urged people not to believe or spread unverified information.