New Delhi/Imp, October 04: Three members of Manipur's militant outfit United National Liberation Front (UNLF), including two of its self-styled Lt Colonels, were arrested from the Indira Gandhi International Airport here.

Moirangthem Jayanta Kumar Singh alias M Milan Singh (44) son of Moirangthem Ananda Singh of Wangkhei Keithel Ashangbi, Phanjoubam Ghanshyan Kumar alias RK Romeo Singh (45) son of Ph Bhorot Singh of Wangkhei Konsam Leikai and Thounaojam Shyam Kumar Singh (39) son of Th Binoy Kumar Singh of Uripok Yambem Leikai were nabbed by Special Cell personnel of the Delhi Police on Monday night when they reached the airport to board a flight to Nepalese capital Kathmandu.

A pen drive containing minute details about the deployment of army and paramilitary forces in the North Eastern States besides information about the outfit's source of funding and its cadre-strength were seized from their possession, a senior police official said.

While Jayant Kumar and Ghanshyan Kumar identified themselves as Lt Colonels of the outfit, Shyam Kumar said he was a facilitator, the official said, adding they were going to Kathmandu to attend a meeting.

"On October 2, we got the information that two people of the banned UNLF were going to Kathmandu by Indian Airlines flight No.IC-813.A police team was sent to the airport and the trio were offloaded from the plane," Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Karnail Singh told reporters here.

Singh said the information obtained from the arrested showed that the expenditure of the outlawed outfit runs into crores of rupees and the group has a rank-based hierarchy where members are paid monthly stipends according to their position.

"They even maintain a full-fledged balance sheet," he said.

The total strength of the outfit, as ascertained from the information obtained in the CD and the pen-drive, could be put at 2,000, he added.

"The meeting in Kathmandu was to be attended by all the top members of the group including its Chairman Raj Kumar Meghen, who is currently in Dhaka," he said.

In Delhi, they were staying at a hotel in Karol Bagh using fake names, he added.

He, however, was not forthcoming on UNLF's possible links with Maoists in Nepal and other insurgent groups in the region.

"It's difficult to say at this point of time," he said and did not rule out the possibility of the trio trying to set up a base in the capital.

The arrested persons have been remanded to ten days in police custody by a local court.

According to sources, it was a joint operation by the Delhi Police, Intelligence Bureau and the Immigration Department.

Speaking to The Sangai Express an official source said that the three UNLF activists were arrested by a team of officers of the Special Cell led by Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma and Inspector Sanjay Dutt under the supervision of ACP, Sanjeev Kumar Yadav.

The three were trying to set up a base at Delhi, said the source and added that one pen drive and a compact disc containing sensitive information including deployment of Army and paramilitary forces in Manipur and details of members of their outfit were recovered.

The source added that information was received on October 2 that two activists of the outfit would be going to Kathmandu by Indian Airlines flight IC 813 from the IGI airport along with a sympathiser.

The three persons were then off loaded from the plane and they were arrested while coming out from Gate number 1 at about 1.40 pm, added the source.

During interrogation, M Jayanta Kumar Singh and Ph Ghanshyam Singh revealed that they were Lt Colonels with M Jayanta Kumar Singh being the Dy Secy Finance of the outfit, said the source.

The two along with Th Shyam Kumar Singh who is a sympathiser were on their way to Kathmandu to meet Nongyai, the senior Lt Col of the UNLF and Chairman RK Meghen, who is presently in Dhaka.

Shyam Kumar Singh has revealed that he is a social worker, politician and a forest contractor.

Shyam Kumar went to Kathmandu to finalise the venue of the meeting on the instructions of Ph Ghanshyam, said the source and added that he assisted them financially as well as logistically.

A case has been lodged at the Special Cell, Delhi.

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