Manipur: Three PLA cadres arrested in joint security operation

Imphal: A joint team of central security forces and Manipur police has arrested three individuals allegedly linked to the proscribed People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the armed wing of the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF), officials said on Thursday.

The arrests were made over the past 36 hours during intelligence-based combing and cordon-and-search operations in Imphal East and Bishnupur districts.

Police said the insurgents had been actively involved in extortion and other criminal activities in recent months.

Acting on a specific intelligence input, security personnel launched an operation at Ningel Mamang Leikai in Thoubal district and apprehended Soibam Kanta Meitei, also known as Ratan (49), an active cadre of the PLA. A mobile phone and SIM card were recovered from him.

Based on his interrogation, two more operatives were arrested in Bishnupur district. They were identified as Salam Brojen Meitei, alias Amujao and Chamba (41), from Thanga Heisnam Leikai, and Oinam Mani Singh, alias Melei (42), from Thanga Chingkha Khomlai Leikai. Two mobile phones were seized from their possession.

The PLA, the armed wing of the Revolutionary People’s Front, has been engaged in an armed insurgency for nearly five decades, seeking an independent and socialist Manipur.