Delhi Police's Crime Branch has arrested a 35-year-old man wanted in two cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in Manipur, describing him as a member of the banned People's Liberation Army. The man, identified as RK Regan Singh alias Gandhi, was picked up from the Yusuf Sarai area of south Delhi, police said.
According to the police, Singh is a resident of Thangmeiband Lourongurel Leikai in Manipur and is wanted in connection with two UAPA cases registered at Thoubal police station, one in 2024 and the other in 2026.
The arrest followed a tip-off received on September 3 that a wanted member of the outfit was in the capital, police said. A team led by Inspector Prakash Chand, working under Assistant Commissioner of Police Rajkumar and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Harsh Indora, was formed to trace him. Technical surveillance and local intelligence were used, and the first lead pointed towards the AIIMS area, but checks showed that no patient of that name was admitted there.
The hunt then spread to hotels across Yusuf Sarai, Safdarjung Enclave and Green Park, and footage from CCTV cameras in the surrounding areas was examined along with field inquiries, police said. Officers said the absence of a photograph of the suspect made identification hard.
During questioning, the man allegedly gave a false name and denied any links with the organisation, according to the police. His photograph was sent to Manipur Police, which confirmed that he was Singh, wanted in the Thoubal cases. He allegedly told interrogators that his uncle was a founding member of the outfit and that he joined it later. Police described him as an active cadre of the group.
Special Commissioner HGS Dhaliwal confirmed the arrest and said members of the family were among those who founded the group. The accounts differ in places: one says he was arrested at a hotel in south Delhi, the other places the arrest in the Yusuf Sarai area without naming a hotel. They also differ on whether family members or specifically an uncle were among the founders.
Singh was questioned about his presence in the capital before being handed over to Manipur Police. A team from the state reached Delhi and took custody of him after confirming his identity and completing the legal formalities, police said.
The PLA is a separatist outfit that has campaigned for an independent, socialist Manipur. The group is banned, and Singh is wanted in two cases filed under the UAPA in the state.
(With inputs from media reports)