Silchar: Assam Rifles and state police, in a joint operation on Friday, arrested an active cadre of the banned Manipur-based United National Liberation Front-Progressive (UNLF-P) from a residential complex in Silchar for his alleged involvement in extorting truck drivers along the Silchar-Imphal route.The accused, Akoijam Shankar Singh, alias Searchlis, Chepta and Yumshangba, a resident of Gosaipur in Assam’s Cachar district was apprehended following specific intelligence inputs, security sources said.Investigators alleged that Singh operated along NH-37, targeting goods-laden trucks travelling towards Imphal. He allegedly positioned himself at strategic locations in and around Jiribam, threatening drivers with firearms and forcing them to pay money.Security personnel traced Singh to a suspected hideout and launched the operation. Extortion money and several incriminating documents were reportedly recovered from him.Police are questioning Singh to establish his alleged role in the extortion network and identify possible associates. Investigators are also examining whether he operated independently or under instructions from senior members of the outfit.Meanwhile, the detention of three alleged UNLF members in Jiribam sparked protests and tension along the Assam-Manipur border. The action came amid reported govt efforts to engage with the outfit as part of a peace process.Local civil society organisations and Meira Paibis called a shutdown in Jiribam to protest the detentions. Shops and business establishments remained closed, disrupting normal life.
