ITANAGAR: The Arunachal Pradesh Police (APP) arrested Tana Hasi for recruiting operatives for the armed group United Tani Army (UTA). Hasi was arrested from his residence at Itanagar on Wednesday as intelligence reports hinted at his activities with UTA. After long hours of questioning, he was formally arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Inspector General of Police (Law & Order) Chukhu Apa briefed the media that Hasi was recruiting local youths in collaboration with UTA's self-styled chairman Anthony Doke through different platforms, including social media. "Doke and his associates would monitor Facebook for vulnerable individuals. Once identified, Hasi was responsible for recruiting them and facilitating their training in Myanmar," Apa explained.
According to reports, the police timely intervention was said to have prevented one youth from traveling to a UTA camp for training. Apa observed that Hasi and Doke have a history of collaboration dating back to their involvement with the National Liberation Council of Taniland (NLCT).
The IGP appealed to youths currently associated with the UTA to return to mainstream society, assuring them that no punitive action would be taken if they availed themselves of the government's surrender policy. He also appealed to parents to monitor their children's activities to prevent recruitment by groups like the UTA. On Doke's claims that innocent individuals were being targeted, Apa said enough evidence justified Hasi's arrest. Moreover, two former NLCT members were interrogated but not arrested.