Imphal: Security forces in Manipur have recovered a massive 200-kg country-made rocket packed with explosives from Churachandpur district, officials said on Tuesday.
The recovery comes amid heightened surveillance across the state following a spate of militant activities in recent months.
According to police, the improvised rocket, measuring about nine feet in length, was discovered on Sunday near S Lonphai and Tuikong villages in Churachandpur.
The device is believed to have been manufactured locally and was likely intended for use in violent attacks.
The bomb disposal squad was called in to safely handle and secure the explosive.
Officials noted that the recovery comes less than a year after a deadly rocket attack in Bishnupur district’s Moirang in September 2024, which claimed the life of an elderly man.
In a separate development, police on Wednesday arrested two militants belonging to different banned outfits for alleged involvement in extortion rackets operating in the Imphal valley.
A 37-year-old cadre of the proscribed People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was apprehended from his residence in Kwakeithel, Imphal West, on Tuesday.
He was reportedly collecting money from local residents on behalf of the outfit, a senior police officer said.
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In another operation, a 25-year-old member of the Kangleipak Communist Party (People’s War Group) was arrested from Kongpal Khaidem Leikai in Imphal East district on Monday for similar extortion-related offences.
Police said both arrests were part of ongoing counter-insurgency measures to curb illegal fundraising by militant groups in the state.
Investigations into the recovered explosive device and the arrested individuals’ network are currently underway.
