NIA Recovers 9 Pistols in the Manipur Missing Arms Case

A new twist has emerged in the Manipur missing arms case when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) recovered nine 9mm pistols from the residence of the United Kuki Liberation Front's (UKLF) chief, Soson Haokip on Thursday. The UKLF is a Manipur-based Kuki armed group. Earlier, on July 30, the NIA had raided the residence of Saikul MLA Yamthong Haokip and recovered one of the missing 9mm pistols as well as a suitcase of gold biscuits, each weighing one kilogram.

According to the NIA's website, on March 30 this year, a written complaint was lodged by P Manjit Singh, Commandant, 2nd Battalion of the Manipur Rifles, to the Officer in Charge of the Imphal Police station concerning the arms and ammunition held by the Police Headquarters. A committee was formed on February 8, and found that out of 570 automatic 9mm pistols, 58 pistols with their magazines were missing. The personnel in charge of the armoury were Havildar Damodaran NP and Rifleman Narayan Chhetry. The duo have been charged with criminal conspiracy and misappropriation.

The raid on the MLA's residence resulted in his driver being remanded to NIA custody. Till date, the NIA has been able to recover 14 of the missing pistols. Considering the number of arms that went missing, it is likely that the motivation behind it was not political, but rather was for personal benefit. For reference, in the international black market for arms, a 9mm pistol can sell for anywhere between 220 to 570 US dollars. In Rupees, it would translate as around 15,000 to 40,000. This means that a tidy sum of anywhere between Rs. 8 lakh to 23 lakhs can be made from the 'missing' arms. 

One could speculate whether the militant and the MLA have a nexus. However, what is certain is that there is a nexus between some members of the security forces and the black market.