A combined force of police commandos and personnel of Assam Rifles recovered 18 sophisticated guns stashed at a mountain slope on Friday.
On January 2 five militants of Kuki Liberation Army had deserted the designated camp at Samsung after overpowering the sentries and taking away 25 guns. According to intelligence reports some militants were moving near Twichin village in Imphal east district brandishing automatic rifles, police said adding that the recovered guns were part of the missing guns.
Police and Assam Rifles personnel have fanned out to the nearby mountains in search of the remaining guns.
The KLA is one of the Kuki militant groups which had come over ground after signing an agreement with the Union Government. As per ground rules the signatories must stay in the designated camps
after depositing the guns with the army.
"Col" Paul Nio, the commanding officer of the Kuki Liberation Army had lodged a complaint with police on the missing guns.