Security forces apprehended five militants from banned outfits across two Imphal valley districts on Tuesday, March 25, intensifying efforts to curb insurgency in Manipur, police reported Wednesday.

The arrests targeted members of the United National Liberation Front (Koireng faction), Kangleipak Communist Party (PWG), and Socialist Revolutionary Party (SOREPA), all linked to extortion rackets plaguing the region.

In Imphal East, two UNLF (Koireng) cadres, active in extortion across Imphal and Bishnupur districts, were nabbed, alongside a SOREPA member from Kongba who had issued monetary threats to government officials.

Meanwhile, in Bishnupur’s Thangtek Teramakhong, two KCP (PWG) operatives, involved in extorting Imphal West, were detained. The operations underscore a broader push against militant groups disrupting Manipur’s fragile peace.

A simultaneous search in Imphal East’s Chingkhei Ching yielded a significant arms haul: a 9mm pistol with magazine, an automatic single-barrel gun, three hand grenades with nine detonators, a .303 LMG, 144 live rounds, two INSAS LMG magazines, an INSAS rifle magazine, and a radio wireless set.

The seizures highlight the ongoing challenge of arms proliferation in the Imphal valley, as security forces ramp up area domination to restore stability amid persistent unrest.