NIA arrests ‘lieutenant’ of secessionist group for killing Assam Rifles official

New Delhi: The NIA has arrested a self-styled lieutenant of the outlawed People’s Liberation Army/Revolutionary People’s Front for his alleged involvement in an ambush and killing of an Assam Rifles official in Manipur, an official said on Friday.

Mayanglambam Siromani, 32, of Manipur’s Kakching district was arrested by the premier investigation agency on Thursday. He had fled India and taken shelter in Myanmar after the ambush.

The case is related to an ambush on a road-opening party of 4th Assam Rifles at Chamol-Sajik Tampak Road in Manipur’s Chandel in 2017 in which one Assam Rifles official was killed and another injured. Two terrorists were also killed in the encounter.

Militants carried out the ambush on November 15, 2017 when a unit of the 4th battalion of the Assam Rifles was conducting a road opening task on the Chamol-Sajir Tampak road in Chandel district.

The NIA probe established that the militants conspired to wage war against the Government of India and in furtherance of this conspiracy, they ambushed the Assam Rifles team, the official said.

Siromani was involved in the conspiracy to attack the road opening party of Assam Rifles. Based on the evidence, he was chargesheeted while being on the run. Further, he was declared a proclaimed offender and a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh was announced for information leading to his apprehension, the official added.

He was an active operative of the PLA/RPF in the 252 mobile battalion of PLA/RPF based in Myanmar.

He along with his co-accused had escaped after the ambush to Myanmar. The accused was produced before a special NIA court in Imphal and taken on a police remand for five days, the official said.

Further investigation into the case is underway, he added.