Assam Rifles, Manipur Police arrest top PLA militant carrying ₹4 lakh bounty

Guwahati: Assam Rifles and Manipur Police, in a joint operation, apprehended a top militant of the outlawed People’s Liberation Army (PLA), carrying a bounty of Rs 4 lakh, officials said on Sunday.

A defence spokesman said that self-styled Captain of the PLA, Thiyam Boycha Singh alias Balin, 28, was arrested from Ushoipokpi in Thoubal district on Saturday night.

He said that the successful joint operation was launched following precise intelligence generated by the Assam Rifles, which established the militant’s presence in Bishnupur district.


Security forces subsequently initiated a targeted search operation on Saturday evening and successfully intercepted the top dreaded PLA militant.

On-the-spot questioning confirmed his identity as Thiyam Boycha Singh alias Balin, a self-styled PLA Captain wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), with a bounty of Rs 4 lakh.

He is also a key accused in the November 13, 2021, Churachandpur district ambush case that resulted in the killing of Colonel Viplav Tripathi, his family members and other personnel.

Initial questioning revealed his involvement in PLA activities, including undergoing training and staying for a prolonged period at a camp in Myanmar, procurement and transfer of war-like stores and maintaining linkages with other militant groups.

The apprehended cadre was handed over to the Manipur Police at Lilong Police Station in Thoubal district on Saturday night for further legal proceedings.

In the November 13, 2021, ambush in the hilly area of Churachandpur district, Colonel Tripathi, the then Commanding Officer of the Khuga Battalion of the Assam Rifles, his wife Anuja, 36, and son Abir, 5, along with four other personnel of the paramilitary force, were killed.