IMPHAL: The national investigation agency (NIA) has filed a charge-sheet against three persons, including a Myanmar national and two militants, in a case of extortion by members of a banned rebel outfit in Manipur

This was confirmed by official sources on Thursday (July 13).

It may be mentioned here that a combined team of the NIA Imphal branch and personnel of the 5th Assam Rifles arrested the three charge-sheeted individuals during raids in five different places of Moreh town bordering Myanmar in Manipur.

The raids took place during the second week of January this year.

Raids were conducted in connection with a case related to terror funding for a Manipur-based underground outfit.

As many as Rs 30 lakh were seized from their possession of the three charge-sheeted individuals, who were arrested during the raids in Manipur.

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Sources said that the charge-sheet was filed at a NIA special court in Imphal, Manipur on Wednesday (July 12) against three members of proscribed militant organizations – People’s Revolutionary Army, Kangleipak Communist Party (PLA-KCP), People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PRPK) and United National Liberation Front (UNLF) among others.

The accused have been charged under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the UAPA 1967.

The three charge-sheeted individuals have been identified as 38-year-old Deepak Sharma alias Khinmanung of Myanarm, Saraj Jaiswal (33) of Manipur and Shaikhom Bruce Meetei (38) also from Manipur.

Deepak has been additionally charged under the Foreigner Act 1946.

The accused had been raising funds through extortion with the intention to further the activities of these rebel organizations.

Investigations thus far have revealed that the cadres of the banned outfits had been making extortion calls to the people in Imphal in Manipur to raise funds for their organizations.