The Manipur Police delivered a stunning blow to insurgency Friday, April 4, 2025, arresting 11 militants from banned outfits and seizing a massive stockpile of arms and ammunition in a whirlwind 24-hour operation.

The sweep, spanning Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, and Thoubal districts, netted extremists tied to groups like PREPAK, KYKL, KCP, and UPPK—valley-based factions notorious for abductions, extortion rackets targeting traders and officials, and issuing death threats.

Four militants were nabbed in Imphal East, five in Imphal West, and one each in Bishnupur and Thoubal, police said. The haul from Imphal East and Kangpokpi districts was jaw-dropping: self-loading rifles, .303 rifles, 12-bore single barrels, pistols, and a slew of ammo. A separate joint effort with the Indian Army, Assam Rifles, CRPF, BSF, and ITBP unearthed 24 more weapons—bolt-action rifles, SLRs, grenades, and IEDs—across five districts, including Churachandpur. All finds were handed to police for probing.

The militants’ rap sheet reads like a crime saga: kidnapping, shaking down contractors, and terrorizing locals. This bust caps a two-month streak, with over 60 arrests and heaps of looted gear recovered since February. A defense spokesperson hailed the ops as proof of “unwavering commitment” to peace in a state scarred by ethnic strife since May 2023. As of now, interrogations are underway, and Manipur’s holding its breath—hoping this is the dawn of calm, not just a lull before the storm.