Over 1 Kg brown sugar, assault rifles seized from SoO cadre

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Oct 27: In a significant drug bust that points strongly to suspected involvement of SoO militant groups in opium-poppy trade, security forces have arrested one KNF(MC) cadre with over 1 kilogram of brown sugar and assault rifles.
The arrested cadre of the Kuki National Front (KNF)-MC has been identified as Letkhothang Khongsai (23) of D Lhangjol village, Churachandpur district.
He was arrested by a joint team of Churachandpur district police, 129 Bn CRPF and 5 Assam Rifles at Kingkin village near M Songgel, Churachandpur district yesterday.
He was arrested after the joint security forces intercepted a white Bolero vehicle.
From his possession, the security forces seized brown sugar weighing 1.027 Kg, one foreign-made AK series Rifle, one foreign-made MA1 Rifle and 240 rounds of assorted ammunition.
During preliminary questioning, he disclosed that he is a cadre of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) group KNF (MC), said a police source.
While involvement of SoO militant groups in the opium-poppy trade has long been suspected, the arrest of the cadre along with over 1 Kg of brown sugar has raised further suspicion.
Further, the seizure of one MA1 Rifle, a  standard-issue service rifle for the Tatmadaw (Armed Forces of Myanmar) has further raised suspicion of SoO militants' involvement in cross-border illegal arms trade.
Manipur shares a 398-kilometer-long international border with Myanmar.
In a separate operation, security forces recovered a huge cache of arms, ammunition and explosives from Bongbal Khullen in Imphal East district yesterday.
The recovered items included one A1 Rifle with a magazine, one .303 LMG, one 9mm pistol with a magazine, five 12 bore double barrel guns, one local  made 9mm pistol with a magazines, three hand grenades without detonators, one Chinese hand grenade, one MG-2 Rifle grenade, one pompi shell, a large cache of assorted ammunition and four wireless radio sets with one charger, said police in a statement issued to the press.