GUWAHATI: In a landmark operation conducted by the STF of Assam in the evening of September 13, 2024, on a tip-off, arrested key UKNA figure from Beltola area under Basistha Police Station in Guwahati. The arrestee has been identified as 34-year-old LS Yosef Chongloi from Churachandpur, Manipur. He is understood to be in connection with several sabotage activities in Manipur and the boundary districts of Assam.
Chongloi, who himself claims a rank of Finance Secretary in the UKNA, is said to be the mastermind of activities by the militant group that pushed tensions in the region into an even more heightened state of affairs. An activity he is said to have orchestrated was a bomb blast which tore apart the Sapermaina bridge on National Highway 2 thereby crippling one of the most vital routes in Manipur. Besides, it was also stated that Chongloi had participated in an arms attack on an IOCL convoy in Tamenglong, Manipur, which brought the issue of security into question in light of other insurgent activities.
The STF team, based on secret intelligence and with the overall guidance of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of the STF, had kept close tab on his movements and arrested him. Chongloi's arrest is a very important development in the present moves against insurgent activities in the Northeast. UKNA is a militant outfit which has been making news consistently from this region for the roles in violence, extortion, and public infrastructure disturbances, especially targeting border areas of Manipur and Assam.
Chongloi had been arrested in STF Police Station Case No. 15/2024. He was accused under various sections of the IPC and UA (P) Act. Offenses stood alleged to be within Sec. 147, 148, 149, 150 of IPC read with Sec. 16, 17, 18, and 20 of the UA (P) Act. Investigations are continuing on his involvement in UKNA's operations and whether he has any clue about potential sabotage plots in the region.
This arrest has been viewed as a milestone step taken toward normalizing the anti-insurgency activities across that region. Already at boiling point from the recent acts of violence, this development gives a much-needed boost to the security efforts of the region while the authorities go about their crackdown against militancy.
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