IMPHAL: Security forces in Manipur have arrested the self-styled chief of the banned United Kuki National Army (UKNA) militant outfit from Churachandpur district and recovered a cache of arms, ammunition and explosives based on his interrogation, officials said on Thursday.
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh chaired a high-level meeting to review security arrangements at the state Civil Secretariat.
A senior police official said the self-styled chief of the outlawed UKNA, identified as R.C. Singson, was arrested from Old Gelmol village in Churachandpur district, which shares both an inter-state border with Mizoram and an unfenced international border with Myanmar.
According to the official, the banned UKNA is a Hmar tribal militant outfit. It is not among the insurgent groups covered under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement signed with the Central government.
Acting on information provided by the arrested militant leader during interrogation, security forces launched a search operation in the forested areas of Thingchawm village in the same district. They recovered a sizeable cache of arms, ammunition and communication equipment.
The seized weapons include one AK-47 rifle with a magazine, one 9 mm pistol with a magazine, three Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and two Baofeng radio communication sets. Police said further investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the weapons and identify other members of the militant network.
Meanwhile, acting on specific information provided by the Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur (DESAM), personnel of the Airport Police Station in Imphal detained 15 persons – six women and nine men – after they arrived at Imphal Airport on an IndiGo flight from Delhi.
The police subsequently handed over all 15 individuals to the Singjamei Police Station along with their 79 pieces of luggage. During inspection, the luggage was found to contain 519 bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), allegedly being transported in violation of prevailing regulations.
An inquiry has been initiated, and both the seized liquor and the detained individuals would be handed over to the Excise Department for further legal action, the police official said. (IANS)
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