Arms looted from police outpost, one arrested
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, August 05 2023:
A group of people looted several weapons from Toupokpi Police outpost in Lilong Chajing under Singjamei police station on Friday as police arrested a suspect during search operation conducted in surrounding area to recover the weapons.
According to a police report, some people stormed Toupokpi Police outpost around 1.30 pm Saturday and carried away several weapons.
The group thendrove away from the location but was chased by security forces.
The vehicles then headed into different directions.
However, one of the vehicles was pursued closely till Ngakraba Leikai under Singjamei assembly constituency, where the occupants abandoned the vehicle and fled in different directions.
Nonetheless, a man suspected to be one of the occupants was picked up by police.
Amid this, a large crowd started thronging the area forcing the police to fire several tear gas shells to disperse the crowd injuring one woman.
Later, a search operation was carried out in and around Ngakraba Leikai at night.
Meanwhile, Congress on Saturday attacked the government over deteriorating situation in Manipur and reports of government arms loot in the violence ridden state.
"No wonder that on August 1, the Supreme Court observed that from the beginning of May there was an 'absolute breakdown of constitutional machinery', as also law and order machinery in Manipur.
Yet the Prime Minister continues to be silent and allows the totally discredited Chief Minister to continue," Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet.
He also shared a news report of the looting of the government arms.
The Manipur Police said that it is undertaking a high-level probe into the loot of a large amount of arms and ammunition from two police outposts in Bishnupur district.
Manipur Police in a statement late on Thursday night said that a mob ransacked Keirenphabi Police outpost and Thangalawai Police outposts of Manipur Armed Police's 2nd Battalion in Bishnupur and took away a huge cache of arms and ammunition.
The mob, comprising men and women, also attempted to snatch arms and ammunition from Heingang police station and Singjamei police station in Imphal East and Imphal West districts respectively but security forces repelled them.
Reports said that the mob looted sophisticated weapons, including AK and 'Ghatak' series of assault rifles, many self-loading rifles and over 19,000 bullets of different calibres.