Three Manipuri militants held

Three Manipuri militants of the proscribed KCP (Poirei Meitei) outfit were arrested following a joint operation by the Delhi and Manipur Police on Thursday, officials said.

The police said the arrested militants were identified as Khoirom Ranjit, a Commander-in-Chief of KCP (Poirei Meitei) cadre, Pukhrihongamibomcha, former cadre of Kanglei Yawol Kannalup (KYKL), and Inugbamsanatombi Devi, a close aide of Ranjit.

They were involved in a number of terror activities like lobbying of grenades, shootouts, killing, planting bombs, running extortion network by intimidating businessmen and politicians.

According to the police, Ranjit and Inugbamsanatombi Devi were arrested in an early morning raid from Mayur Vihar in east Delhi, while Pukhrihongbamibomcha was arrested later in a separate raid in Manipur after Ranjit told the police team about his hideout.

Two pistols and two hand-grenades were recovered from their possession, the Delhi Police said.

"Police conducted the raid following a tip-off by Manipur police about presence of Ranjit and his associates in Delhi," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said.

During questioning, Ranjit told the police he initially became an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of KYKL and was involved in delivering the extortion letters, ferrying vehicles, accompanying the KYKL cadres for arranging food and other logistics, and supplied the organisation information about the deployment of security forces in Manipur, Yadav said.

Ranjit was apprehended in 2007 by 15 Assam Rifles but released allegedly due to political influence.

He has also good contacts with a sitting legislator in Manipur. He later migrated to Nepal and set up his extortion network base under the banner of KCP-KK - Nigamba Group, Yadav said, adding the militant had earlier managed to extort Rs 70 lakh.

Ranjit also confessed to have planted a Chinese hand-grenade on July 20,2010 at the residential courtyard of doctor Aheiban Mukta Singh at Andro Bazaar in Manipur, the police officer added.

"During questioning, it was found Pukhrihongbom Ibomcha is a former cadre of KYKL, was active cadre of KCP (Poirei Meitei) group, who worked under Ranjit. Inugbamsanatombi Devi used to write extortion letters and collect the extorted money," Yadav said.

--IANS

sp/pgh/vt