Manipur: Commander of banned Chin-Kuki Liberation Army arrested in Churachandpur

Imphal: A leader of the proscribed Chin-Kuki Liberation Army (CKLA), the armed wing of the outlawed United People's Liberation Front (UPLF), was arrested in an operation conducted in Manipur's southern Churachandpur district of the state within the past 24 hours.

The CKLA/UPLF is one of the Kuki-Zo underground outfits that is not under the Suspension of Operations (SoO).

Officials said 25 Kuki-Zo underground groups are operating in Manipur under the SoO pact with the central government.

Central security forces, in coordination with the Manipur police, conducted an intelligence-based combing operation that led to the arrest of the self-styled commander-in-chief of the CKLA/UPLF.

The commander-in-chief of the CKLA/UPLF (Non-SoO group) was later identified as Seikhongam Baite, also known as Ngamcha (50), a resident of Sugnu Tribal in Manipur's Chandel district.

He was reportedly sheltering at B. Phaicham in Churachandpur district.

The arrestee is the son of Thanglet Baite and belongs to the Kuki-Zo community. He, along with his cadres using the names CKLA and UPLF, has been involved in kidnapping and extortion in the Churachandpur town areas for some time.

The police reported that one M4 assault rifle, a Colt, Cal 5.56mm SER 2404 (foreign-made), along with one magazine, 20 live rounds of 5.56mm ammunition, and one Nokia black-and-white keypad phone were recovered from his possession.

The police added that the arrest is considered a breakthrough in handling insurgents in the district.

A case under FIR No. 145(11)2025 CCP-PS u/s 140/142/3(5) BNS, 25(1-C) Arms Act has been registered against him for further legal proceedings.