Manipur police nabs PLA cadre for attack on Assam rifles

The Manipur Police on Wednesday arrested a prime accused in the September 19 ambush on Assam Rifles which led to the death of two soldiers. The accused is a member of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) currently on bail.

The police in a statement said they arrested Khomdram Ojit Singh alias Keilal during an operation launched along with the Assam Rifles and other security forces in the Kameng area of Imphal West district early on Wednesday.

During interrogation at the spot, he admitted that he is a PLA member and that he was arrested earlier on April 22, 2007, the police said. The questioning also revealed that he was directly involved in the September 19 ambush on the Assam Rifles personnel at Sabal Leikai Nambol areas in Bishnupur, they said.


The police said based on information provided by him, they recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition used for the attack from the Loktak lake area. A mobile handset, a wallet and an Aadhaar card were also recovered from the area, a police official said.

Examination of the arrested person is continuing, and certain leads have been established, he said.

Raids are being carried out to apprehend the other culprits involved in the attack, the official said.

A defence spokesperson earlier had said the Assam Rifles team was returning from flood relief operations in the Imphal valley when their convoy was ambushed by unidentified people along the Imphal-Dimapur National Highway-2 in Bishnupur on September 19.