Four people, including a woman, were arrested on Friday in connection with an improvised explosive device (IED) discovered near the Assam-Manipur border in the Lakhipur area of Assam’s Cachar district.
The arrests
On November 23, Cachar district police discovered an IED in Lakhipur in Cachar district, along the Assam-Manipur border, which was later defused by a bomb squad team.
According to Cachar district Superintendent of Police (SP) Ramandeep Kaur, four people were arrested in connection with the IED detection, including a lady who worked as a source for the Manipur-based militant group People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
According to preliminary investigation, the IED was set in the vicinity to target Manipur authorities, according to the top police official.
SP Kaur’s statement
“We registered a case in connection with the detection of an IED and during investigation we have arrested four persons, including a woman so far. The woman, identified as Rakibul Nessa, who is a source of the PLA, and the other three arrested persons are residents of the Lakhipur area. Our investigation is on. From the information we have received so far, it could have some connection with some organisations, but we are not able to exactly pinpoint the thing,” Ramandeep Kaur said.
On November 13, Manipur-based rebel organisations PLA and Manipur Naga People’s Front (MNPF) ambushed an Assam Rifles convoy in Manipur’s Churachandpur district, near the Indo-Manipur border, killing seven people, including the Assam Rifles Commanding Officer, his wife, and their 8-year-old son.
