4 Manipuri rebels nabbed in Bihar

The Manipur police with assistance from their Bihar counterparts have arrested four insurgents of the People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak, commonly known as PREPAK, from Patna. This is the first time that Manipuri insurgents have been caught in Bihar, said police officials.

The four insurgents — Chinglemba, Bobo Meitei, Birjit and Laishram Jiten Singh — were arrested from the Patna railway station on June 18 night as they were about to buy tickets. They were brought to Imphal Friday evening.

The four were arrested on charges of waging war against the nation.

"They are wanted in a number of cases over the years. The arrest, however, has been made for attacking a candidate in the assembly elections earlier this year," said a senior police officer.

The four accused had lobbed a grenade into the house of Trinamool Congress candidate Joykishan, who was contesting from Thangmaiband.

Joykishan went on to win the election.

"We have been making arrests mostly in Guwahati and also in Goa and Bangalore where many insurgents have been found to be fleeing. This is the first time that we have made an arrest in Bihar. We have had reports of links between Maoists and insurgents from the Northeast but this is yet to be established," said the police officer.

Police sources in Bihar, however, said the four, who possibly came to the state last week, were trying to establish contact with Maoists.

Bihar Additional Director General of Police, headquarters, Ravindra Kumar said there was no case against the four in that state.

PREPAK has been operating in Manipur since the late 1970s. But in the past decade members of the group have primarily been involved in extortion rackets and kidnapping for ransom.

With ENS, Patna

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