Nearly a week after 33 Assam Rifles personnel were ambushed at Nambol Sabal Leikai in Manipur’s Bishnupur district, security forces have nabbed the man behind the attack. The ambush last week on Friday (September 19, 33) killed two soldiers and left five others injured, marking one of the most serious militant strikes in the region in recent months.
The man apprehended has been identified as Khundongbam Ojit Singh alias Keilal (47), a former People’s Liberation Army (PLA) member who was out on bail. Singh, who had earlier been arrested in April 2007, admitted that he continued working for the banned militant outfit.
How was he caught?
Singh was arrested from Kameng in Imphal West during a special joint operation carried out by the Imphal West and Bishnupur district police, 33 Assam Rifles, and other security forces. Officials said he confessed to his role in the ambush during interrogation.
According to a police statement, Singh admitted that after firing on the Assam Rifles personnel, he and his accomplices fled towards Loktak Lake, where they stashed their arms and ammunition at a hidden location.
Worth mentioning here is that Singh, a former cadre of the banned People’s Liberation Army, is no stranger to the security grid. Previously arrested in 2007 for militant activities, he was once again taken into custody after the September 19 ambush at Sabal Leikai. During interrogation, he revealed key details of the assault.
What weapons were recovered?
Based on Singh’s revelations, security forces recovered a large cache of weapons used in the ambush, including an A4 rifle, HK rifle, 2 AK rifles, 1 INSAS rifle, multiple magazines and ammunition rounds, 3 lathode shells, a mobile phone, wallet, and Aadhaar card.
Police said Singh is being interrogated to establish more leads, while raids are ongoing to trace the other assailants involved in the ambush.