Imphal, Feb 15 (IANS): Manipur Police have arrested six persons and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition from their possession which were allegedly looted from the 5th Battalion Manipur Rifles armoury at Chingarel in Imphal East district, officials said on Thursday.

The police said that four Insas rifles, one AK Ghatak-2, few magazines of self-loading rifles and 16 small boxes of 9 mm ammunition -- which are suspected to have been looted from the armoury -- were recovered from the accused on Wednesday night.

The police, however, didn't reveal from where the arms and ammunition were recovered or from where the six persons were arrested.

Earlier, a mob accompanied by some village volunteers barged into the camp of the 5th Battalion Manipur Rifles at Chingarel in Imphal East district, and fled with arms and ammunition.

A police statement said that on Tuesday, in order to repel violent mobs trying to storm the Manipur Police Training College (MPTC) at Pangei (Chingarel), the security forces resorted to the use of force.

“During the incident, one person succumbed to gunshot injury while three others sustained injuries,” the statement said.

Since the ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023, armed village volunteers of different communities have been guarding their villages along the peripheries of different districts to prevent attacks from the rival community.