Imphal: Security forces arrested an active cadre of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) during an anti-insurgency operation along the NH-37 Imphal-Silchar road under the jurisdiction of Kaimai Police Station on Saturday.
According to a police bulletin released on Sunday, the arrested person was identified as Lungthaukhon Panmei (32), a resident of Oinamlong village in Manipur’s Tamenglong district. He was apprehended while allegedly carrying out extortion activities near the Kaimai area.
Authorities recovered and seized several items from his possession, including a Baofeng communication handset, 13 receipt memos bearing the name of the “Govt. of Republic of Nagaland”, seven official-sealed tokens bearing the same name, and cash amounting to Rs 2,800.
The arrested person and the seized items were handed over to the concerned police station for further legal proceedings and investigation.
The initial police statement did not specify the particular splinter faction of NSCN-K to which the arrested cadre allegedly belonged.
NSCN-K has split into multiple factions following the death of its founder S.S. Khaplang in 2017. Major factions include the Yung Aung faction, Khango Konyak faction, and Niki Sumi faction, among others.
The Yung Aung faction is primarily based in Myanmar and has remained outside the peace talks with the Indian government. The Khango Konyak faction has entered into a ceasefire agreement and engaged in political dialogue with the Centre, while the Niki Sumi faction has also signed a ceasefire agreement with the Government of India.
Other offshoots include factions such as NSCN-K/Ang Mai (NSCN-K/AM) and other smaller groups that emerged due to internal divisions.
Different NSCN-K factions have followed separate paths in their engagement with the Government of India, with varying positions on peace talks, ceasefire agreements and political negotiations.