NIA nabs militant wanted over attack on forces

NEW DELHI:  The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested Mayanglambam Siromani, a self-styled lieutenant of the outlawed People’s Liberation Army/Revolutionary People’s Front, over his alleged involvement in an ambush that killed one of Assam Rifles’ personnel in Manipur. 

The 32-year old Siromani of Manipur’s Kakching district was arrested by the anti-terror wing of the agency in Manipur. He had fled India and had taken shelter in Myanmar after the ambush, officials said. The ambush on a road-opening party of the fourth Assam Rifles at Chamol-Sajik Tampak Road in Manipur’s Chandel in 2017 killed one member of the Assam Rifles and another injured. Two terrorists were also killed in the encounter.

Militants carried out the ambush on November 15, 2017 when the Assam Rifles team was conducting a road-opening task on the Chamol-Sajir Tampak road in the state’s Chandel district. In a statement, the anti-terror agency said that its probe has 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.

According to the agency, Siromani was involved in the conspiracy. He was charge-sheeted while being on the run. He was declared a proclaimed offender by the agency and a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh was announced for information leading to his arrest.

Siromani was an active operative 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.