(MENAFN- Live Mint) Four people, including a 60-year-old woman, were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Manipur's Churachandpur district on Monday, police said.

According to a PTI report, the ambush took place near Mongjang village around 2 pm when the victims were travelling in a car. Preliminary reports suggested that they were shot from a point-blank range, another official in the Churachandpur district headquarters told PTI.

While no organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack, over 12 empty shells were recovered from the spot. The identities of the victims are yet to be confirmed, the report said, quoting the official.

Drop in violence in Manipur, claim officials

Manipur has witnessed a significant decline in violence, with a sharp drop in civilian deaths and injuries and a marked increase in drug seizures since the imposition of President's rule in February, officials said on Sunday.

Besides, Manipur Police, Assam Rifles and other paramilitary forces are also working tirelessly to recover thousands of weapons looted from police armouries following the outbreak of violence in May 2023, they said, as reported by news agency PTI.

Despite the relative calm, challenges remain for the security forces to recover thousands of lost arms and addressing the activities of the banned valley-based terrorist groups involved in extortion and petty crimes, they added.

During the period of central rule beginning February 13, only one protest-related fatality has been reported, a stark contrast to the 260 fatalities documented from May 3, 2023, until the enforcement of President's rule , they said.

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Injuries have also seen a significant drop, with just 29 new cases reported in the last four months compared to a total of 1,776 since May 2023.

From February 13 to June 26, the region saw no incidents of arson or vandalism, while cumulative incidents of such nature crossed 17,000 before the imposition of President's rule, according to the report.

Two militants arrested in Manipur

Security forces arrested two militants belonging to proscribed outfits from Manipur's Bishnupur and Tengnoupal districts, police said on Sunday.

The arrests were made on Saturday, a PTI report said.

One active cadre of the banned Kangleipak Communist Party (Taibanganba) was apprehended from his residence at Oinam Ushakhangdabi in Bishnupur, while a member of the outlawed Peoples' Liberation Army was held in Tengnoupal along the India-Myanmar border, a police officer said.

Security forces also recovered arms and ammunition, including a rifle, guns, live cartridges and a hand grenade, during an operation near Ngariyan Hill in Imphal East district on Friday, he said.

Meanwhile, in Tengnoupal district, personnel of the bomb disposal squad neutralised an“old unexploded bomb” after being informed of its presence by locals, the officer added.

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