Manipur Police have detained two teenage militants belonging to the banned outfit United Tribal Volunteers (UTV) near the Myanmar border in Chandel district. The incident, which occurred on October 18, has once again drawn attention to the increasing involvement of minors in insurgent activities and the persistent challenges of policing Manipur’s porous international boundary.
According to police sources, the two juveniles were intercepted at Salluk village, located near the Chakpikarong police station, while they were travelling from Churachandpur towards Tamu, a border town in Myanmar. Acting on intelligence inputs and routine patrol checks, the security personnel stopped the duo for questioning and later confirmed their affiliation with the UTV group.
Authorities have withheld the identities of the apprehended teenagers, citing legal restrictions under the Juvenile Justice Act, which mandates the protection of the identities of minors involved in criminal cases. Officials stated that both individuals are being held under protective custody and will be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board after preliminary interrogation.
A senior police officer from Chandel district told reporters that the operation was part of heightened border surveillance in view of rising militant movement in the area. “Our teams are maintaining constant vigil along the Indo-Myanmar border. The detention of these two minors has exposed ongoing attempts by certain militant groups to recruit children for unlawful activities,” the officer said.
The United Tribal Volunteers, a proscribed outfit operating primarily in the hill districts of Manipur, has been active in cross-border activities for several years. The group is known for exploiting remote terrain and porous border routes to smuggle arms, recruit cadres, and establish links with groups operating across the Myanmar frontier. Security agencies have long considered the UTV a threat to peace and stability in the border regions, especially amid the ongoing ethnic tensions and political unrest in the state.
