IMPHAL, September 12: A team of the Manipur Police Department led by Assistant Commandant, 5th India Reserve Battalion and comprising of 54 personnel has left Imphal to procure arms, ammunition and explosives from other States during the first week of this month.
Reports said, the team included one Jemadar, 13 Havildars, 15 Riflemen, two followers, one water carrier, one armourer, one pharmacist, two fitter/mechanic and 18 drivers. The team left the state capital in nine vehicles including seven trucks, one bus and a Maruti Gypsy.
The decision to procure the weapons was decided to enhance the Counter Insurgency Operations (CIOps) and law and order maintenance in the State.
The team would be procuring Tear Gas Gun and Tear Smoke Munition other then the guns, bullets and explosives from ordinance factories located in Kolkata, Pune, Jabalpur, Tekanpur, Sonepat and Guwahati.
The reports further said in travelling to the different States to collect the huge cache of arms and ammunition, the team had prepared to avoid insurgency-hit places either by diverting or adopting a lenghtier route which connects the said places. As such, the team would not travel through the route that led to Lalgarh; a Maoist opearating area situated about 90 kms away from Kolkata. In place of this, the team would be considering other alternative National Highway in travelling to its destination.
The team also included police personnel from 5th IRB, 7TH IRB, 2ND MR, 1ST MR, 4TH IRB besides those from the Manipur Police Department.