UNLF militant, arms smugglers held in Manipur

Imphal: Two women arms smugglers and an illegal manufacturer of weapons were arrested and a six 9-mm pistols, five magazines and a live round seized by a combined team of Assam Rifles and Manipur police.

The smugglers Esther Haokip (22) and Chongboi Haokip (43) were held from their residences at Molnom in Churachandpur district on Thursday.

In another incident on the same day, security forces destroyed two small huts in Zipitang Reserved Forest locality and recovered one 9 mm pistol and other materials allegedly used in arms manufacturing. An illegal manufacturer of arms was also arrested, police said today.

Meanwhile, a team of Manipur police commandos, in a separate operation led by Additional SP (Ops) Ibomcha, arrested a militant of the proscribed outfit United National Liberation Front (UNLF) from Keisampat area in Imphal West district yesterday, a police official said.

The militant entered the Northeastern state from neighbouring Myanmar, he said.

The police team also learnt that the UNLF cadre had joined the proscribed outfit KYKL in 2002 before crossing over to UNLF the following year.