In a major counter-insurgency push, Manipur Police and central security forces arrested eight militants linked to various proscribed insurgent outfits during coordinated operations across multiple districts on May 14 and 15.

The crackdown, one of the largest in recent weeks, targeted militants allegedly involved in extortion, arms possession, and underground activities.

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The most significant arrest took place on May 15 in Thoubal district, where Laishram Nanao Singh (39), an active operative of the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Progressive), or PREPAK (Pro), was apprehended near a brick kiln in Heirok.

Security personnel seized a cache of arms and equipment, including a .303 rifle, four modified single-bore rifles, 54 rounds of .303 ammunition, and a hand grenade.

Military gear such as camouflage fatigues, bulletproof jackets and plates, magazines for automatic weapons, a mobile phone, and a four-wheeler were also recovered.

On the same day, two militants belonging to the United National Liberation Front (UNLF–Koireng faction) — Loushigam Loveboy Singh and Laishram Diamond Singh — were detained from Imphal East. They were found in possession of a .32 pistol and ammunition.

Three other insurgents were picked up from separate locations across Thoubal and Imphal districts. One of the detainees, Khundrakpam Brojen Singh (53), affiliated with the Kangleipak Communist Party (People’s War Group), was reportedly extorting money from educational institutions in the valley region.

A day earlier, on May 14, two cadres of the United People’s Party of Kangleipak (UPPK) were arrested from Koirengei Bazar in Imphal. They were allegedly involved in intimidating and extorting the public.

The arrests come amid persistent efforts by the state and central governments to dismantle insurgent networks that have operated in Manipur for decades.

Groups such as PREPAK, UNLF, KCP, and UPPK have been waging separatist or revolutionary campaigns since the 1970s and 1980s, often engaging in extortion, targeted violence, and guerrilla warfare against security forces.

While several insurgent groups have entered into suspension-of-operation agreements or signed peace accords in recent years, breakaway factions and active underground cells continue to pose a threat to internal security, especially in the valley regions.