STF nabs self-styled ‘finance secretary’ of Kuki insurgent group in Guwahati

Guwahati, Sept. 15: The Special Task Force (STF) in Guwahati has apprehended a self-styled “finance secretary” of the United Kuki National Army (UKNA), a Kuki insurgent group operating in Northeast India and Upper Myanmar.

Identified as LS Yosef Chongloi, 34, he was arrested from the Beltola area of Guwahati on Saturday.

The arrest comes in connection with several sabotage activities in Manipur and the surrounding border areas of Assam.

Chongloi faces charges under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections 16, 17, 18, and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Chongloi is suspected to be involved in high-profile incidents, including the recent bomb blast that destroyed the Sapermaina Bridge on National Highway 2 (NH-2) and an armed attack on an Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) convoy in Tamenglong, Manipur.

The Inspector General of Police (STF) issued the arrest order based on intelligence inputs indicating Chongloi’s activities in the Beltola area under Basistha police station in Guwahati.

Chongloi’s arrest is seen as a major breakthrough in countering insurgent activities in view of the ongoing unrest in Manipur.

Earlier in June, the STF had arrested an individual in Assam for sourcing drone parts and high-end drone batteries allegedly intended for terror groups in Myanmar.

These arrests underscore the increasing use of drones in the Manipur violence that has killed several people in the past few weeks.

The police have described Chongloi’s arrest as a critical step in disrupting the operations of insurgent groups and restoring peace to the affected areas.