Insurgent, wanted in 2017 ambush on Assam Rifles, arrested in Manipur

An insurgent has been arrested in Manipur in connection with an ambush on the Assam Rifles in 2017, police said.

A joint team of the Manipur Police, CRPF and Assam Rifles arrested 45-year-old Koijam Ibochouba alias Sumo, a self-styled major of the outlawed Peoples' Liberation Army (PLA), from a house in Sagolband in Imphal West on Sunday, they said.

The ambush allegedly took place on the 4th Assam Rifles at Chamol-Sajir Tampak Road in Chandel district in 2017, according to the NIA, which is probing the case.

The attack was allegedly carried out by the PLA and Manipur Naga People's Front (MNPF), the agency said.

Two Assam Rifles personnel were critically injured in the ambush, and one of them later succumbed to injuries. Two terrorists were also killed in the action.

Based on information provided by the arrested insurgent, police also recovered a cache of arms and ammunition, buried in a plastic drum at a farm in Kharungpat in Kakching district.

Among the recovered weapons were an M-16 rifle, eight SLR rifles, a detonator, magazines, mortars and two IEDs, a police statement said.