Two arrested in Manipur as police crack down on extortion and drug trafficking

Security forces in Manipur arrested an active cadre of the banned outfit RPF/PLA from his residence in Imphal East district on February 22, seizing a mobile phone in the process.

The arrested man, identified as Khundom Momocha Meitei alias Yaiphaba, 31, of Yourabung Khunou under Lamlai Police Station, is accused of operating as an extortionist for the proscribed group.

Authorities have not disclosed further details of the alleged extortion activities, though the arrest signals continued pressure on insurgent networks operating in the region.

A day earlier, Manipur Police nabbed a suspected drug peddler from Thoubal district in a separate operation. Md. Anash, 29, of Lilong Tharaorok under Lilong Police Station, was picked up from his home along with 730 bottles of Codeine Phosphate Syrup — a prescription medication widely abused as a narcotic across the Northeast.

The back-to-back arrests come amid sustained efforts by Manipur's security establishment to tackle the twin threats of insurgency-linked extortion and the illicit drug trade, both of which have long plagued the state.