Sun May 18 06:25:02 UTC 2025: ## NIA Arrests Manipur Native in Kerala Hotel, Allegedly Linked to UNLF and Manipur Riots
**Kannur, May 18, 2025** – The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a 21-year-old man from Manipur, identified as Rajkumar Mypaksana, in Thalassery, Kerala, in connection with the ongoing investigation into the Manipur riots. Mypaksana was apprehended on Friday, May 16, 2025, at approximately 5:00 PM while employed as a housekeeper at a local hotel.
According to sources, Mypaksana, a native of Imphal, was tracked down following a period of surveillance. NIA officers, posing as health officials conducting routine disease checks, identified him through his Aadhaar card and a distinctive tattoo. He is allegedly trained by the proscribed United National Liberation Front (UNLF), a banned militant group, and is connected to a case registered in Imphal related to the ethnic conflict in Manipur.
Sources indicate that Mypaksana cooperated with the officers upon realizing he was being arrested. The NIA reportedly did not inform Kerala police prior to the operation. A fake passport was also recovered from Mypaksana, which he allegedly attempted to use to travel abroad via Tirur.
Initial investigations suggest that Mypaksana arrived in Thalassery after responding to a job advertisement on social media. His proficiency in English and Hindi aided his assimilation into a group of youths recruited from Manipur. He reportedly arrived in Kerala last month and traveled through several districts before settling temporarily in Thalassery.
The arrest is part of a broader investigation into the ethnic violence that has plagued Manipur. The NIA continues to pursue individuals with suspected ties to extremist organizations involved in the conflict.
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