Arunachal: United Tani Army cadre arrested in Longding

A trained cadre of the outlawed United Tani Army (UTA) was arrested in Longding district after being found roaming in disguise and attempting to deceive officials for money.

The arrested individual has been identified as Tana Padang alias Mili Jacob, a resident of Tamen village in Kamle district. 

According to police sources, on September 13 he approached the residence of Superintendent of Police (SP) Longding, Dekio Gumja, seeking financial assistance to travel to Itanagar. Finding his behaviour suspicious, the SP detained him for questioning at Longding Police Station.

Interrogation revealed that Padang had visited several officers’ residences in Longding town, cheating money by narrating fabricated stories. 

Police verification confirmed that he had earlier been charge-sheeted in Sangram Police Station case no. 02/2022 under sections 341, 323, and 427 of the IPC. Further, he was identified as a trained UTA cadre, who had undergone training in Myanmar before sneaking into Longding in disguise.

On September 14, he was formally arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) at the Police Headquarters as part of ongoing investigations into UTA activities.

SP Longding appealed to the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious individuals to the district police immediately.