Imphal, Jan. 7: Police and the Assam Rifles apprehended 12 militants and their supporters involved in attacks on Congress offices and the party leaders' houses and confiscated weapons in crackdowns mounted since yesterday in view of rebel threat to the party's candidates and its workers.
The police arrested 10 members and supporters of Peoples' Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Progressive) from different places in Bishnupur and Imphal East districts yesterday.
Two AK assault rifles, a 9mm pistol, three hand grenades, a laptop and one Maruti van were seized.
The arrested persons include Ningthoujam Itomba Singh, 44, who is aspiring to contest the Assembly elections scheduled for January 28 from Keirao Assembly constituency of Imphal East. The police recovered two China-made hand grenades from his house.
The police said they were involved in four cases of lobbing hand grenades on the houses of Congress workers and offices.
The police said Itomba provided shelter to the nine others at his house in Keirao Bitra and planned the attacks.
A joint team of police and Assam Rifles continued crackdowns in three Assembly constituencies of Keishamthong, Singjamei and Thongju today and arrested two cadres of the Peoples' Liberation Army (PLA) from Thongju.
The police team recovered a lethod gun, five lethod shells, two 9mm pistols, one China-made hand grenade and a huge quantity of ammunition from them.
One of the arrested cadres is self-styled second lieutenant Athokpam Surchandra alias Ninthou alias Chaothoi who is working as "secretary" of the Greater Imphal area.
Additional superintendent of police of Imphal West, Isak Shah, said the raids began last night and continued till 8am today following information that the coordination committee of seven militant outfits were planning to attack homes of Congress candidates and their workers.
"The two work under self-styled captain Koireng, secretary of division IV of PLA. The secretary provided the weapons to them through two couriers, including a woman, for use in targeting Congress candidates and workers," Isak Shah said.
He said Koireng was sent recently from Bangladesh to carry out the attacks.
Despite increased frisking and search operations, grenade attacks on Congress offices and candidates continued.
The police said suspected militants attacked a Congress office located in Nambol Assembly constituency in Bishnupur district last evening with a hand grenade.
The grenade failed to explode and the police recovered it later.
The police also recovered an unexploded grenade lobbed by suspected militants at the private residence of Congress MLA and candidate in Lamsang constituency in Imphal West this morning.
The candidate's house is located at Lamsang bazar.
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