A major tragedy was averted in Manipur on Saturday after the Army and the state police defused at least eight improvised explosive devices during a joint operation in Imphal East.
Based on intelligence reports received by an army column that warned of the hidden IEDs, a team of the bomb disposal squad was pressed to service in the Siachang Itham area of Imphal East and defused all the IEDs weighing 33 kilograms, said the defence spokesperson for Manipur, Nagaland and South Arunachal in a statement, reported Times of India.
"In a swift and decisive joint operation, the Indian Army in collaboration with the Manipur Police successfully detected and defused eight IEDs in Saichang Itham area of Imphal East district, averting a major tragedy in the region," the spokesperson said in the statement.
The two villages where the IEDs were found, Moirangpurel and Itham, are where the farmers and cattle-gazers work, said the army.
"The recovery has given a severe blow to the nefarious design of inimical elements planning to undertake subversive activities in the region," the statement said.
Seven IEDs and one detonator were found in Saichang and Bongjang Hill range area, Imphal East District during the search operations and area domination, said the Manipur police.
The Saturday operation comes just days after the army and the police conducted a joint operation on Wednesday and recovered a huge quantity of arms and ammunition in Imphal East District, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said, reported NDTV.
Following intelligence reports, the joint team launched an extensive search operation from Kangpokpi and Imphal East district.
Patrol and explosive detection dogs were deployed during the 72-hour-long operation due to the complexity of the terrain, said the spokesperson. Large numbers of arms and ammunition including 13 long-range mortars, four Burmese 'iron rods' (crude mortar), an IED, and one modified grenade launcher were recovered in the operation.