Imphal, March 14, 2010: In what may be construed as a major achievement of the Imphal East District Police, an elite team of police commandos of the district arrested the Chief of Army of the proscribed Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) at Khaprail bazar at Siliguri in Darjeeling district of West Bengal at about 6.30 pm today.

According to police source here, the team of Imphal East District Police Commandos arrested Ningthoujam Tomba @ Koireng (57), son of N Bira of Nambol Kongkham Mayai Leikai, Bishnupur district along with two women at Khaprail bazar this evening.

Khaprail is a town that comes under the Siliguri sub-division of Darjeeling District in West Bengal.

It is situated around 13 km from Siliguri and 13 km south of Kurseong.

One satellite phone and some other materials were reportedly recovered from them.

The source said that while the team of Imphal East District Police Commandos made the arrest, the Siliguri police refused to let the insurgent leader be taken away by the Manipur Police, and insisted on him being remanded in the custody of Siliguri police.

Top officials of Manipur Police were busy till late evening engaging in negotiation with the top brass of West Bengal Police, other source said.

Meanwhile, it is not yet known when the KYKL leader and others arrested along with him would be brought to Imphal for necessary legal procedures.

The report of his arrest has reached the Union Ministry Home Affairs.

National TV News Channels and news agencies have already reported the arrest of the Chief of Army of KYKL.

Meanwhile, an agency report from New Delhi says that the government today termed it a weekend of "major successes" with the arrest of terrorists and militants in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Manipur.

While the Maharashtra ATS arrested two terror suspects Abdul Latif alias Guddu and Riyaz Ali from Mumbai, the Gujarat ATS arrested Bashir Ahmed Baba alias "Pepsi bomber" from Anand while in Manipur, the chief of Kanglei Yawol Kunna Lup (KYKL) was arrested by security forces.

"This weekend we have had three major successes.

One module has been busted in Maharashtra in Mumbai, which the Maharashtra ATS has already made statement....

We have another module being busted in Gujarat of the Hizbul Mujahideen and KYKL chief of the army has been arrested in Manipur also...

so it's been good...," Union Home Secretary G K Pillai said.

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