Manipur Police Arrest Kuki Village Chief; Nearly 1 kg Raw Opium Seized in Kangpokpi

Imphal: In a coordinated crackdown on narcotics, the Anti-Narcotics Cell of the Manipur Police, supported by the Assam Rifles, arrested a Kuki tribal village chief and seized nearly one kilogram of raw opium during a joint operation in Kangpokpi district.

According to the Manipur Police’s morning bulletin issued on Monday, November 24, the operation was launched on Sunday, November 23, after multiple intelligence inputs indicated that drug peddlers had begun operating in vulnerable pockets of the district. Acting on the tip-off, a joint team of security personnel carried out the search in the Bongmoul Kuki village under Kangpokpi Police Station.

The two-hour operation resulted in the arrest of Lunkhohao Kipgen (43), who serves as the Chief of Gunphaibung Kuki village under the Saikul police station. Police said he was found in possession of 986 grams of raw opium along with a mobile phone, which were seized on the spot.

Authorities accused the village chief of engaging in illegal drug peddling and confirmed that the recovered items were held without authorisation. A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, has been registered.

The arrested individual and the seized materials have been taken into custody for further investigation and legal action, officials said.

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