The Indian Army and the Manipur Police defused at least eight improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Imphal East district on Saturday.
The defence spokesperson for Manipur, Nagaland and South Arunachal said in a statement that an army column received intelligence reports that warned of the hidden IEDs, after which a bomb-disposal team defused all the IEDs weighing 33 kg.
“In a swift and decisive joint operation, the Indian Army in collaboration with the Manipur Police successfully detected and defused eight IEDs in Saichang Itham area of Imphal East district, averting a major tragedy in the region,” the spokesperson said.
The army said farmers and cattle grazers work in Moirangpurel and Itham villages, where they found the IEDs.
“The recovery has given a severe blow to the nefarious design of inimical elements planning to undertake subversive activities in the region,” the army said.
Notably, the army and the police recovered a huge quantity of arms and ammunition from Imphal East district on Wednesday as well.
After getting intelligence reports, the joint team launched an extensive search operation in Kangpokpi and Imphal East districts.
The 72-hour-long operation deployed patrol dogs and explosive detection dogs due to the complexity of the terrain, the spokesperson said.
The operation resulted in the recovery of 13 long-range mortars, four Burmese ‘iron rod’ (crude mortar), an IED, and one modified grenade launcher.
Over 220 people have been killed in the ethnic violence between the valley-dominant Meitei community and the Kuki tribes, who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur. The violence has internally displaced nearly 50,000 people.
