Songpi: S. Palal Thadou alias Lalboi Singson, identified by the National Investigation Agency as the alleged finance head of the proscribed outfit United Kuki National Army, has been remanded to judicial custody at Guwahati Central Jail till September 3, 2026, following a virtual production before the NIA Special Court-II, Manipur.
The court on August 21 ordered his shifting to Assam after the prosecution strongly opposed his lodgement in any jail in Manipur. The NIA special public prosecutor submitted that in view of the prevailing ethnic tension and fragile law and order situation in the state, keeping him in Manipur would pose a serious security threat and could enable him to re-establish contact with his network.
Thadou was arrested by the NIA on August 12 in connection with the deadly bomb attack at Tronglaobi Awang Leikai in Bishnupur district on April 7. The case, first registered at Moirang Police Station as FIR No. 23(4)2026 and later taken over by the NIA as RC-04/2026/NIA/IMP, relates to an explosive device fired from a nearby hillside that landed in a residential area, killing two children aged five years and five months and leaving their mother Oinam Binita critically injured.
According to the NIA, Thadou played a central role in arranging and routing funds for the UKNA to procure arms, explosives and logistics support. The case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, and is being treated as a major breakthrough in the ongoing crackdown against valley and hill-based armed groups.
Investigators said his name has also surfaced in several other violent incidents that rocked the state in recent months. These include the bomb blast at Torbung on December 16, 2025 registered at Churachandpur Police Station, firing in Molnom area on the intervening night of February 3 and 4, 2026 around the formation of the state government, and firing at Kaprang on July 4, 2026 just ahead of the Chief Minister’s visit to Churachandpur.
The agency is also probing his suspected involvement in two attacks targeting central forces, including firing on CRPF personnel during a recce on March 25 and firing near a CRPF camp in Bishnupur district on March 26, which was registered at Phougakchao Ikhai Police Station as FIR No. 12(03)2026. Financial transactions and mobile communication records are being examined to map the wider network.
During the hearing, the defence counsel prayed for Thadou’s lodgement at District Jail, Churachandpur on health grounds and to facilitate family visits. The court rejected the plea and accepted the prosecution’s argument for shifting him outside the state under tight security cover to prevent any untoward incident and interference in investigation.
Following the court order, Thadou was transported to Assam under heavy security escort and lodged at Guwahati Central Jail. NIA officials said further investigation is in progress to identify other operatives, funding channels and cross-border linkages of the outfit, while security has been heightened in vulnerable areas of Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts.
