Two suspected militants belonging to banned insurgent groups were arrested in separate security operations in Manipur’s Imphal West district for their alleged involvement in extortion and the illegal transportation of arms and ammunition, police said on Thursday.
According to police, a 55-year-old member of the banned People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was arrested from the Tabungkhok area under the jurisdiction of Patsoi Police Station on Wednesday. Investigators alleged that he was involved in transporting arms and ammunition through the district.
In another operation carried out a day earlier, security forces apprehended a 26-year-old cadre of the banned National Revolutionary Front of Manipur (NRFM) from Sagoltongba Makha Leikai, also under Patsoi Police Station in Imphal West. Police alleged that the suspect was involved in extortion activities.
Officials said the arrests were part of continuing counter-insurgency operations aimed at disrupting the activities of banned militant organisations operating in the state. The suspects are being questioned, and further investigation is underway.
Security agencies have stepped up search operations and area domination exercises across vulnerable and fringe areas of Manipur as part of efforts to maintain law and order and prevent militant activities.
The intensified operations have continued since ethnic violence broke out in the state in May 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. The conflict has claimed more than 260 lives, displaced thousands of people and led to an increased deployment of security forces across several districts.
