More than 350 insurgents nabbed in Manipur; extortion rackets target marriage and property disputes

Imphal/New Delhi: Security forces in Manipur have arrested more than 350 insurgents during intensified crackdown on extortion rackets that have taken an unusual turn, with groups mainly from the Valley now demanding money to resolve matrimonial disputes, along with traditional targets like property and "cuts" in government tenders, officials said on Sunday.

These insurgents were picked from mid-February this year after the imposition of President's rule in the state. A clear instruction has been issued by the governor's administration to the general public to report any extortion attempts to the police or face legal consequences for aiding insurgents.

The officials said that investigations against the more than 350 people arrested in the crackdown indicate that insurgent groups, feeling the pressure from security forces post-President's rule, are becoming more desperate for funds and more brazen in their methods.

The majority of insurgents have been nabbed from Imphal East, followed by Imphal West in the valley.

It's just about money, and for that, they settle personal scores, family feuds and even matrimonial disputes. If you have a problem, and you have the right connections, they become your 'solution' but for a price, of course, the officials said.

Recently, a person codenamed 'Tiger' was picked up from Imphal East by Manipur police while he was busy settling a matrimonial dispute with family members of a bride and groom, the officials said.

Later, he was identified as Laishram Ramesh Singh, belonging to the banned United National Liberation Front (UNLF). During preliminary verification, he told the police that he joined the organisation in September 2024 and is presently working in its "finance section".

The officials claimed that he confessed to being involved in extortion activities by serving monetary demands and threats and by collecting money from government officials located in and around the Imphal area, besides collecting "cuts" from business houses who had been allotted various government tenders.

Two mobile handsets and Rs 21,50,000 of extortion money were recovered from him.

The officials said the insurgent groups were continuously evolving and exploiting technology and one of the tactics involved obtaining SIM cards with false documentation from any northeastern state and using them to make Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls routed through Wi-Fi networks on WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.

The victims would receive a call, seemingly from across the border, and be given a code. They were then instructed to hand over the demanded money to whoever presented that code, the officials said.

In some of the instances, some shady civil society groups were involved in the collection of extortion amounts that were subsequently passed on to the insurgent groups after some cuts, the officials said.

President's rule was imposed in the northeastern state in February this year under Article 356, following the resignation of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, a move meant to bring order in the state hit by ethnic strife.

But the path to peace was proving to be a treacherous one, said an official and reasoned that the immediate trigger may have been the escalating violence between the Valley-based Meitei community and the Hill-based Kuki-Zo groups but beneath the surface there was a more insidious problem -- the rampant extortion by insurgent groups, both Meitei and Kuki, that had plagued Manipur for years.

The Assam Rifles, which is also an important pillar of the law and order machinery in Manipur, has arrested 77 such insurgents indulging in extortion, including seven from Hill-based groups from Churachandpur.

The officials said that the extortion was mainly being carried out by the cadres of the banned UNLF, People's Liberation Army (PLA), Kanglei Yawol Kanba Lup (KYKL) and People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) in the state.

These near-dormant Meitei groups saw resurgence during the turmoil that rocked the state in May 2023.

They said that, at present, the UNLF has a cadre strength of 530, followed by PLA with 450, and KYKL with 25, who are active within the groups of the majority community.

While the UNLF has in the past been largely involved in extortion, targeting contractors and businessmen, the PLA, which initially took shape under the name of 'Polei', the ancient name of Manipur, had an aim to "liberate Manipur" and establish an independent Meitei land in Imphal valley.

The KYKL, which runs on extortion and openly supports other terror groups, is considered a mercenary group with no ideology and cadres mainly drawn from criminals and drug addicts.

The PREPAK, which has been banned by the government for its secessionist ideology of so-called liberation of Manipur and whose funding mainly comes from extortion of businessmen, especially pharmacies, indulged mainly in drug trafficking and smuggling.

This terror group is also involved in extortion on behalf of the PLA and the UNLF and passes the amount after retaining a share.

Among the Kuki-based groups indulging in extortion and drugs are Chin Kuki Mizo Army (CKMA) and Chin Kuki Liberation Army (CKLA).