In a significant breakthrough, Manipur Police have successfully dismantled a sophisticated interstate arms smuggling racket, apprehending four key operatives in a meticulously planned operation conducted on June 24, 2025. The crackdown, initiated based on specific intelligence inputs, targeted the illicit network operating extensively within and around the Imphal region.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Sinam Somendro Metei (43), also known by his aliases Pankhei and Richards, a resident of Thangmeiband, Imphal West, and reportedly a cadre of the proscribed outfit UNLF (P); Lanchemba Nongthomba (24) of Nongmeibung Ayangpalli, Imphal East; RK Abothe Singh (33), alias Rohit, hailing from Singjamei Chirom Leikai, Imphal West; and Bishwanath Thokchom (21) from Kongpal Mutum Leikai, Imphal East.
The police operation yielded a substantial and diverse cache of illegal firearms and communication equipment. Among the seized items were two Smith & Wesson 9 mm pistols along with three magazines and thirty-four rounds of ammunition; a Sig Sauer 9 mm pistol with one magazine and fifteen rounds; a Glock 19 pistol with two magazines and twenty-eight rounds; a JD Taurus 7.65 mm pistol with one magazine and eight rounds; a Falcon Cal 7.62 mm pistol with one magazine and nine rounds; an M-20 Falcon pistol with one magazine; a Keltec .32 mm pistol with two magazines and fifteen rounds; a Beretta pistol with one magazine and two rounds; and a Glock .32 pistol with one magazine. Additionally, a staggering 159 live rounds of .32 mm ammunition were recovered, alongside three mobile phones and four wireless handsets, believed to be crucial for the syndicate’s coordination efforts.
Investigators suspect the arrested quartet were instrumental in supplying these sophisticated weapons to various subversive elements and criminal networks, both within Manipur and in neighbouring states. The police have launched a comprehensive investigation to unearth the full scale of the network’s operations and its broader linkages, aiming to sever the supply chain of illegal arms in the region.