IMPHAL, Aug 27: Aheiba Angom, secretary in charge of the department of publicity and propaganda of PREPAK in a press release alleged that the number of weapons recovered from one of the outfit’s cadres by the security forces have not been accounted factually.
The statement mentioned that according to a press release issued by the PRO of the IGAR(SOUTH), combined troops of 28 AR and 12th Maratha Light Infantry in an operation carried out at Wangkhei Ayangpalli on the 24th of August arrested one cadre of PREPAK cadre identified as Sandhiam Rame, 28, of Sekmaijin Thongam. A large arms cache was recovered from him including one US carbine, one magazine, one 9mm pistol, one AK 47 rifle with magazine, 165 bullets, one lethod gun, one .32 pistol with magazine.
The statement of the PREPAK alleged that the real number of weapons have not been accounted for as 7 lethod bombs, three AK 56 rifles, nine AK magazines with 545 bullets, 15 bullets of 9mm, five M20 bullets, one .38 pistol with four bullets, 50 .45 bullets, one UZI submachine gun and three magazines which were recovered from the site which Rame revealed. He was not arrested from Wangkhei Ayangpalli but from Canchipur area.
Questioning the motive behind the concealment of the seized arms by the AR, Aheiba asked whether the arms will be used to set up a gang of the AR or will the arms be sold off for monetary gains or will the arms be used to stage fake encounters in which numerous innocent people will be slain. The statement warned that it is the modus operandi of the armed forces to withhold arms so that the same can be used for their gains in future and the public needs to be aware and guard themselves against the unethical security forces.
