Manipur: Myanmar National Arrested by Assam Rifles for Illegal Entry, Linked to Arms Smuggling

IMPHAL: The Assam Rifles apprehended a Myanmar national, 20-year-old Thanglinkap also called Kakap for entering Indian territory illegally. Thanglinkap, a native of Kolang in Myanmar's Khampat region, was arrested on September 9 while roaming in a jungle near Kachibung village in Manipur's Chandel district. He was found three kilometers inside Indian borders without any valid travel documents which exposed him to the immediate legal procedures.

Though the arrest came out in the open only last week, after Assam Rifles handed him over to Chandel police, it is more than the illegal immigration in his case. Sources suspect Thanglinkap to be a member of Kuki National Army (KNA) and has links with an arms smuggling syndicate which functions between Myanmar and Manipur. His objective? To undertake reconnaissance work for a consignment of arms and ammunition to be received soon.

Authorities believe the consignment, probably just one of the many, was being brought from Myanmar through Moreh in Manipur's Tengnoupal district, and its destination was aimed to be finally reached in Manipur's insurgency-hit Churachandpur district. It is suspected that this network has already successfully handed over several such consignments of weapons in the Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts of Manipur, both of which have seen frequent unrest of late.

Probe into the bigger smuggling operation and its fallout on regional stability. Already, in the wake of Thanglinkap's arrest, with the Assam Rifles, in tandem with Chandel police and other security forces, sounding a zeroing-in towards dismantling the network that immediately threatens the fragile peace and national security of Manipur.

According to reports, illegal crossing into India by Thanglinkap has led to a case under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act, and legal proceedings are on. The law enforcement agencies have a reason to believe that this arrest may hold considerable information regarding smuggling routes as well as those participating in the supply chain, which might fuel insurgency in the region.

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