I have been presiding Unified Command meetings : Kuldiep Singh
'Arms dealer' held at Myanmar border
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 09 2023: Kuldiep Singh, Security Advisor to the Government of Manipur, has stated that search operations have been launched and it will go on until all the weapons looted from police are recovered.

To a query, Kuldiep Singh said, "As per instructions from the Central Government, I have been presiding over meetings of the Unified Command" .

Security forces apprehended a man with Rs 20 lakh in cash from a location close to Myanmar border under the jurisdiction of Singhat police station on October 7, said Kuldiep and added that the man came from Myanmar and it is suspected that he is involved in illicit arms or drug business.

Due investigation is going on, informed the Security Advisor.

I have been presiding Unified Command meetings : Kuldiep Singh

Briefing media persons at the Chief Minister's Secretariat this evening, Kuldiep Singh said that combined teams of police, army, AR and CAPF launched combing operations today in search of the looted weapons. Combing operations in different parts of Imphal East, Imphal West, Churachandpur, Kakching and Thoubal led to recovery of several weapons today, he said.

He said that the total number of weapons looted from the armouries of Manipur Police was 5669 .

1344 were already recovered by the end of September.

Of the 1344 weapons recovered by the end of September, 1249 are sophisticated ones while the other 95 are country-made weapons, the Security Advisor said.

He said that apart from those weapons looted from police, all unauthorised weapons would be seized.

Altogether 11 guns, 20 rounds of ammunition, 2 Kgs of gunpowder, one mortar shell of 51 mm, one .36 hand grenade, 10 improvised mortar (pumpi), two radio sets, five bullet-proof jackets, one pair of Khaki pants and five shirts were recovered in the combing operations carried out today, Kuldiep Singh said.

He informed that these weapons and items were recovered from Sinam (Imphal East), Zalenkot (Churachandpur) and Yairipok Gwarok (Thoubal) .

Responding to a query raised by media persons regarding a video clip which was circulated in social media yesterday, Kuldiep Singh said that the deceased has been identified and his body has been deposited in JNIMS mortuary.

"But I don't have any details about the place, date and time of the incident", he added.

The video clip of around seven seconds shows a man being burnt.

To another query regarding search for missing persons, the Security Advisor said that all FIRs registered in connection with missing persons are divided into two groups.

While one group is investigated by CBI, the other group is investigated by SITs.

So far, 42 SITs have been constituted, he said.

For example, the missing case of the two young students is being investigated by the CBI, he added.

To another query, Kuldiep Singh said, "As per instructions from the Central Government, I have been presiding over meetings of the Unified Command." The death toll of the Manipur violence has reached 175 while the number of injured persons stands at 1439, he said.

Altogether 162 columns of army and Assam Rifles and 200 companies of CAPF have been deployed in the State, he added.