Panaji: Goa police arrested a 50-year-old self-styled lieutenant colonel of the banned People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of Manipur at Cuncolim on June 16. Nongthongbam Ingo, alias Krishna alias Lal, was wanted by Manipur police for nearly 20 years.
Arrest and Transit to Manipur
After taking him into custody, Manipur police produced Ingo before a local court on June 17, and he was taken to Manipur on June 18 on a three-day transit remand. A senior Goa police officer said that, based on an intelligence tip-off from Manipur police, the crime branch apprehended Ingo within hours of his arrival in the state on June 16.
Travel and Motive
Ingo travelled to Goa by bus from Mumbai to meet a woman from his native village. The woman works at a hotel and has no connection with the banned outfits in Manipur, police said. Police added that Ingo mostly operated from Bengal and Myanmar and may have moved to Goa amid a crackdown on Bangladeshi nationals in Bengal.
Long-Standing Warrant
He is wanted in a case registered at Lilong police station in Thoubal district nearly two decades ago. “We have checked whether the self-styled lieutenant colonel has any link in the state, and preliminary investigation has revealed that he has no connection in Goa,” the officer said. “We are also verifying whether Ingo had visited Goa earlier.”
Background
The PLA is a banned insurgent group in Manipur. Ingo’s arrest marks a significant step in a long-pending case. Further investigation is ongoing.
