Imphal: Manipur Police and central security forces arrested three alleged cadres of the banned People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the armed wing of the Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF), from separate locations in Imphal West and Thoubal districts on Wednesday.
With these arrests, the total number of PLA/RPF operatives detained over the past 48 hours has risen to six, according to police sources.
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The arrested individuals have been identified as Huyam Chitaranjan Singh, also known as Thouba or Kenan (56); Lairenlakpam Joychandra Meetei, also known as Abung, Jullon, or Oken (46); and Khundrakpam Robasko Singh, also known as Khingba (22).
These latest arrests follow a similar operation on Tuesday in Kakching district, where three other PLA cadres Nongmaithem Raju Singh alias Prince (49), Yumnam Sunil Singh (46), and Kshtrimayum Opendro Singh (56) — were apprehended.
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Based on intelligence gathered during their interrogation, joint forces launched renewed operations in the Pal Ahanbi Canchipur area of Imphal West and Khangabok Sorok Wangma in Thoubal.
According to officials, all six individuals were involved in extortion activities across various districts of the state.
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During the raids, security personnel recovered a significant cache of arms and explosives. Among the seized items were a 9 mm carbine machine gun with three magazines and five rounds, 24 rounds of AK rifle ammunition, a magazine for a .303 light machine gun, 16 rounds of .22 rifle ammunition, and eight rounds for a .22 pistol.
Authorities also recovered seven detonators, eight mobile phones, two wallets containing Rs 1,060 in cash, Aadhaar cards, and two four-wheeled vehicles believed to have been used in illegal operations.
The PLA/RPF, one of Manipur’s oldest insurgent outfits, has been fighting for the restoration of the state’s sovereignty for over four decades. The group emerged after the erstwhile princely state of Manipur was merged into the Indian Union in 1949.