AK 56 rifle
Representative photo. Image credit - Twitter

Two suspected arms smugglers have been arrested on outskirts of Imphal with an AK 56 rifle.

Police said a team of Manipur police and 6 Assam Rifles in a joint operation around 5.45 am on Sunday arrested the two smugglers along the National Highway 102 on the outskirts of Imphal City.

One AK series rifle, 60 live rounds of ammunition, two magazines and two mobile phones were found on them.

They have been identified as Khupngaisuan Paite, 25, and Sonthianlam Paite, 34, from Churachandpur district.

A top police official said acting on a tip-off about sophisticated weapons being moved to Imphal city, the team set up a temporary checkpost along the highway.

During the checking, an SUV was signaled to stop, but it sped away. After a chase of a few minutes, it was intercepted and the weapons found.

The official said the two had smuggled in the weapons from Dimapur, Nagaland, and were transporting them to Churachandpur district.

A case has been registered against them and further investigation is on.