Anguao (face covered), arrested at Gopalpur in Ganjam, being taken to police custody by the NIA officials. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Berhampur, May 29: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Ibotombi Asem alias Anguao, the self-styled chief of external affairs department of the banned People’s Revolutionary Army (PLA) of Manipur, from the beach resort town of Gopalpur, 20km from here, yesterday.

Anguao, who was produced before the chief judicial magistrate here the same day, was today taken to Guwahati by the NIA on five-day transit remand.

In the wake of the arrest, Odisha police are trying to ascertain if the Manipuri extremist had any links with Maoists in the state. The possibility is not being ruled out because in the past extremists with Ulfa links have been found imparting arms training to the Maoists in the state.

Police in Guwahati said they were yet to receive a report about the arrest of the PLA leader in Odisha. The police here said the PLA cadres had links with the Maoist and were giving them training in arms and guerrilla warfare.

“The NIA arrested Anguao from the residential quarters of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) at Gopalpur based on the information of the central intelligence agencies. He was produced before the magistrate in the NIA case No. 1/11. They have taken him to Guwahati on transit remand,” R.K. Sharma, DIG, southern range, said, adding that the arrest was made with the help of local police.

The police said they had got involved when informed by the NIA, which had sent three teams to Berhampur trailing Anguao, who had visited Myanmar recently. He has been under the NIA’s scanner since his return from Myanmar.

Anguao’s wife, whose name is being withheld, has been working as a scientist in the GSI at Gopalpur for the past one year. She had been staying in the residential quarters of the GSI at Gopalpur with her baby girl, said sources.

The PLA, armed wing of the Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF), has been waging a battle against the Indian state since 1978. One of the most well trained insurgent groups of Northeast, it was the first organisation from Manipur whose members were trained by the China’s People Liberation Army at Lhasa in the 80’s. They also reportedly had arms training in Myanmar.

While top separatist leaders such as R.K. Sana Yaima alias Meghen, the leader of the United National Liberation Front, are in the NIA custody in Guwahati, leaders of the RPF and the PLA were illusive till the arrest of Anguao.

Earlier in August last year, some unknown persons, suspected to be army personnel, took away G.M. Changjou alias G. Jiteshwar Sharma alias Gypsy, assistant publicity secretary of the RPF from a house in Dimapur and he has been missing since then.

Intelligence sources said leaders of the RPF and the PLA were based in other countries such as Bangladesh and Myanmar and they sneaked into Manipur from time to time.

In the past, a PLA group imparted weapons’ training to the Maoist groups operating in Jharkhand. It is this bit of information, which has made police officials here to look for possible links of the PLA with the Odisha Maoists via Anguao.

However, a senior police official here said the extremist from Manipur had so far not been able to establish links with the Red rebels in the state. “Still, we are looking for more information as we cannot take chances in this matter,” said the officer.

Earlier, apart from the arrest of three former Ulfa men, who were imparting weapons’ training to the Maoist cadres in the Saranda forests on Sundergarh-Jharkhand border, there has also been speculation about supply of arms to the Naxal groups in Odisha by extremist organisations such as Ulfa and the PLA.