IMPHAL, June 9: Two of the four arms which were found missing along with a Manipur Rifles personnel from his post in Tamenglong district since yesterday have been recovered.
The rifleman identified as Jamkholal Lupho was on sentry duty at the 5th MR post near the construction site of railway bridge No. 40 in Tousem Sub-division on June 7 at 2:45 pm before he was found missing along with the arms.
The two self-loading rifles (SLR) along with the personnel’s uniform have been recovered from a spot just about 250 meters farther from the MR post along the hill path, during a search operation conducted by a combined team of the Jiribam Police Station and the 5th MR.
“The deserter will be arrested very soon”, Themthing Ngashangba, IPS, Superintendent of Tamenglong District Police who is leading the rigorous search operation to arrest the deserter and recover the arms and ammunition informed IFP over the phone this afternoon.
He further said that the search operation which got underway without any delay soon after the recovery of the missing personnel and the arms has continued till today.
A combined team comprising of SP himself, Md Feroz Khan, Commanding Officer of 5th MR, Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Nungba Sub-division is camping at Jiribam and continuing with the search of the missing personnel and the weapons, he said.
However, when asked by IFP whether the deserter along with arms and ammunition has joined a UG group based in the hill or whether it was committed with the connivance of them, SP Themthing Ngashangba said that he had not received any such information as of now.