Smoke billows from the New Lambulane area of Imphal East district of Manipur, where at least five houses were gutted on August 27. (NNN Photo)
Newmai News Network
Imphal | August 27
Tension resurfaced in the New Lambulane area of Imphal East district on Sunday after five houses were gutted in the afternoon.
Police were yet to ascertain the cause of the fire till the filing of this report.
The fire broke out in the locality dominated by the Kukis where the central security forces guarding the residents round the clock with security fencing in the entire exit points since the conflict between the two communities erupted on May 3.
Police and firefighters quickly took action and extinguished the flames before spreading to the adjacent structures.
At least five houses belonging to Kuki and Meitei communities were reduced to ashes by the inferno, reports said.
The reports also said that residents of adjacent localities came out on the streets on seeing the engulfing flames and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits behind the arson incident.
Meanwhile, in another incident, media reports quoting the police said that unidentified attackers snatched three weapons from the security personnel guarding the residence of former Health Director K Rajo on Sunday at Sagolband Bijoy Govinda in Imphal West district.
The looted weapons included two AK series rifles and a carbine. Police launched a search operation to nab the culprits and to recover the looted arms, the IANS news agency reported.
Looted arms, ammunition recovered
In the continuing search operation to recover arms and ammunition looted from the police and security outposts at the initial stage of the communal clashes in Manipur, a combined security force personnel recovered a cache of arms, ammunition and explosives, an official source said on Sunday.
The recovered cache included one carbine with one magazine, one locally made stand gun without magazine, two blank carts, 11 rounds of 5.56 mm rifle ammunition, one tube launching, a Chinese hand grenade wrapped with black tap., three 51 mortar ILLG bomb, three hand grenades (HE) without detonator, one hand grenade (HE) without striker pin back cap and detonator and three detonators.
The combined team of Manipur police commandos and 16 Assam Rifles recovered the cache during a search operation at Pukhao Terapur, around 150 meters away from SH Brick farm under Sagolmang police station last evening, around 5pm, police said.
The operation was launched based on specific information regarding keeping a cache of arms and ammunition concealed in the area, the police added.
The recovered cache of arms, ammunition and explosives were later handed over to Sagolmang police station after lodging a case, the police further added.
