Combined force bust UG hideouts
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 18 2009: Two hideouts likely to be of the proscribed PREPAK and another set up by the KCP outfit have been destroyed and huge cache of weapons recovered by a combined team of Imphal west district police commandos and troops of the 12 Maratha Light Infantry today.

Weapons and items recovered from the busted camps on display

Conveying on the security force action during a media briefing at his Imphal police station office this evening, Sr SP (IW) L Kailun said the combined team rushed to Khoidumpat area under Waikhong police station in Thoubal district based on specific input regarding heavily armed UG suspects loitering in and around Khoidumpat.

Upon advancing to the specified location and commencement of search operation a brief encounter ensued after which weapons and other items were recovered from the abandoned hideouts.

From around 11 am the search operation continued till about 2 pm during which the UG suspects fired shots leading to the encounter that lasted for nearly 20 minutes, the Sr SP continued adding that further search of the area after cessation of firing led to the discovery of partially dismantled hideouts.

While two of the temporary structures are suspected to have housed PREPAK cadres the third is likely to belong to the KCP group, he said and listed the recovered items as one potable generator set, one invertor set, an LPG cylinder, three plastic chairs, an A-4 rifle, one UMG, one lathode gun with five shells, one wireless set, same number of Chinese hand-grenade and large quantity of bullets of different weapons.

While a number of utentils were also recovered from inside the damaged structures clothes were found burnt, Kailun said and informed that seven dug-outs abandoned by the fleeing UGs were restored to the respective owners as they were reported to have been forcibly taken away from the locals.