Imphal: The self-styled Commander-in-Chief (CinC) of a Kuki militant group, who was arrested with drugs in Manipur on Sunday, has been remanded in five- day police custody, a police officer looking after the investigation said on Monday.
Lemtinsei Singsong alias Seiphu (50), of the United Tribal Liberation Army (UTLA), “KNO-Seiphu faction”, was apprehended with 124.87 gm of brown sugar by a team of 39th Assam Rifles (AR) at Phaitol village in Tamenglong district on Sunday.
Sources said UTLA is one of the 25 Kuki-Zo militants groups which signed the Suspension of Operation (SoO), a tripartite ceasefire agreement with the state and Central governments.
Interestingly, the arrest was made amid the popular call for immediate abrogation of Soo with Kuki militant groups, alleging them of indulging in narco-terrorism in the state.
The Union Home Ministry in August this year also acknowledged the nexus between the illegal trade in narcotics and terrorist activities in the current violence gripping the state.
The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has also accused the SoO groups for their involvement in narco-terrorism.
Singsong, who is booked under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, was produced before a judicial magistrate in Tamenglong district via video conferencing on Sunday.
The court remanded him in five-day police custody, enabling the cops to quiz him for extracting more info about the seizure of drugs.
He was earlier handed over to the Jiribam police station by AR troops before being transferred to Tousem police station in Tamenglong district.
In view of the current security situation, he is currently being housed at a nearby CRPF camp at Uchathol village on a temporary basis. The self-styled Commander-in-Chief (CinC) of a Kuki militant group, who was arrested with drugs in Manipur on Sunday, has been remanded in five- day police custody, a police officer looking after the investigation said on Monday.
Lemtinsei Singsong alias Seiphu (50), of the United Tribal Liberation Army (UTLA), “KNO-Seiphu faction”, was apprehended with 124.87 gm of brown sugar by a team of 39th Assam Rifles (AR) at Phaitol village in Tamenglong district on Sunday.
In view of the current security situation, he is currently being housed at a nearby CRPF camp at Uchathol village on a temporary basis.
