Soumya Menon/ENS
Bangalore, Jun 21: In a joint operation, the Military Intelligence and Central Crime Branch sleuths arrested six Manipuri militants in Bangalore, after a major chase in the wee hours of Friday from Mahadevapura police station limits.
Five are North-east militants while one is a Yemeni, but all belonged to Prepak (General Staff). One of the men is suspected to have links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), while the Yemeni national is suspected to be linked to al-Queda.
This is the first time that Prepak militants have been traced and nabbed in Bangalore. The sleuths seized 75 various items from the militants including mobile phones, SIM cards, incriminating material and documents, bank account details and electronic gadgets.
A Manipur police team has arrived in the city on Friday. The arrested have been identified as Prepak’s project officer (Finance) Laikhuram Jiten Singh alias Dada alias Anil (30), self-styled ‘Lt’ Thungo Singh alias Nanao alias Chalamba (29), Jhony alias Nanao (26),Meghanchader alias Thungo (27), Bikash Pradhan (24), resident of 18th Cross, Chinmaya Mission Hospital Road, and Amar (23), resident of Bhoopasandra.
Sources said out of this gang, Dada, Chalamba and Jhony are hardcore Prepak militants, while the others are suspected to be militants and their associates.
Amar, the Yemeni, is a BCA student at Brindavan College in Hebbal, while the others are natives of Imphal in Manipur. Dada is suspected to have links with the ISI.
The chase: MI has been tracking these militants for the last three months after receiving credible information about their whereabouts. A source told this website's newspaper, “They came to Bangalore in January 2007 and have been constantly changing residences.”
Acting on a tip off, police and MI sleuths on Thursday reached a house in Mahadevapura. On Thursday night, at 7 pm, the sleuths rushed to Dada’s house on 19th Cross, Kagadaspura and apprehended Dada and Chalamba.
During interrogation, the two militants informed the sleuths that the other four were meeting under the Hebbal flyover to discuss plans of the organisation.
At around 2 am, over 30 CCB personnel and 15 MI sleuths swooped down upon them, and after a short, hard chase cornered them. Police have registered a case in Mahadevapura police station.
“We are investigating if they were also involved in smuggling of drugs and other extortion cases in Bangalore. We are also investigating their links with any international terror group,” said a senior police official.