Aizawl | The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two Kuki student leaders from Manipur in Mizoram’s Aizawl, officials said on Friday, hours after the agency detained United Kuki National Army (UKNA) chief Thangkhomang Haokip and his driver.

The two student leaders were detained from a hotel in the Khatla area of Aizawl on Thursday, according to an official familiar with the operation. Their detention came several hours after the NIA, assisted by the Assam Rifles, apprehended Haokip and his driver on the outskirts of Aizawl.

The two student leaders, along with Haokip and his driver, are currently in NIA custody, the official said. Haokip is wanted in connection with several cases registered in Manipur. However, details of the cases and the specific charges, if any, against the two student leaders were not immediately available.

The arrests come amid ongoing investigations by the central agency into cases linked to the ethnic conflict in Manipur. The official also clarified that the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB), which had earlier been reported to have participated in the operation, was not involved in the arrests.

Further details about the circumstances leading to the arrests and the cases against the two student leaders are awaited.