1,195 looted arms recovered so far: Manipur Police

The Manipur Police said it has so far recovered 1,195 looted arms from different parts of the state.

In a statement, it said 1,057 arms were recovered from the valley districts and 138 arms from the hill districts.

Besides, thousands of ammunition were also recovered, mostly from the valley districts.

"Security forces have been continuously raiding the hill and valley areas to recover the looted arms and ammunition," it said in a statement on Saturday evening.

Director-General of Police Rajiv Singh said strict action will be taken against the people indulging in looting of arms from security forces.

The ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The violence, which has been continuing for the last three months, has claimed over 160 lives so far.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal valley, while tribals, Nagas and Kukis, constitute another 40 per cent and most of them live in the hill districts.