CRPF‑Police Raid Nets Eleven Guns and Grenades in Manipur’s Imphal East

Security forces seized eleven firearms during a joint CRPF‑police operation in the Bongbal Khollen foothills of Imphal East district on Tuesday. The raid was launched after a tip‑off and involved personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force and the state police. Among the weapons recovered were one A1 rifle, a 9 mm pistol, a locally made 9 mm pistol, two 12‑bore double‑barrel shotguns and three 12‑bore single‑barrel shotguns. In addition, three hand grenades and a cache of ammunition were taken from the site. All seized items were handed over to the Thoubal Dam Police Station for evidence processing. Police said the recovered arms will be examined to trace their sources and to strengthen intelligence on illegal arms networks in the state. Authorities said the haul underscores the persistence of illegal arms circulation despite repeated crackdowns. The operation is part of a broader sweep that security forces have been conducting since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur three years ago. The conflict, which erupted in May 2023 between the valley‑based Meitei community and the hill‑based Kuki groups, has claimed at least 306 lives, left 49 people missing and displaced thousands. Since February this year, clashes between Kuki and Naga groups in the hill districts have added another fifty deaths to the toll. ## Context These seizures aim to curb the flow of weapons that fuel communal clashes and to prevent further loss of life in a region still reeling from years of unrest.