The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a 21-year-old youth from Manipur, identified as Rajkumar Mypaksana, in Thalassery, Kerala, in connection with a case linked to the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur. The arrest was made around 5 p.m. on Friday, May 16, while he was working as a housekeeping staff in a local hotel.
According to a report published by The Hindu, Rajkumar, a resident of Imphal, was tracked down after several days of surveillance. NIA officers, posing as health department officials conducting monsoon disease inspections, visited workers’ accommodations in the area and carried out identity verifications. Rajkumar was identified through his Aadhaar card and a distinctive tattoo on his neck.
Sources revealed that Rajkumar is allegedly trained by a proscribed militant outfit and is linked to a case registered in Imphal in connection with the ethnic unrest that has gripped the state since last year. He reportedly did not resist arrest and cooperated with the NIA officials upon realising he had been identified.
The NIA also recovered a fake passport from his possession. Preliminary findings suggest that he had attempted to use it to travel abroad via Tirur, but the attempt had failed.
Investigations indicate that Rajkumar arrived in Kerala last month, following a job offer advertised by a hotel on social media. He reportedly moved across several districts before settling temporarily in a rented house at Manjodi, Thiruvangad, in Thalassery. His fluency in Hindi and English helped him integrate smoothly into the new job, where several other youths from Manipur had also been recruited.
Interestingly, the Kerala Police were not informed in advance about the NIA operation. Officials said this was a deliberate decision to ensure operational secrecy.
The arrest is part of a broader investigation by the NIA, which has been actively pursuing individuals suspected of having links with extremist outfits involved in the Manipur conflict. The agency has been intensifying its efforts across states to track suspects hiding outside Manipur.
Further interrogation and legal proceedings are underway as part of the ongoing probe.