The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a 21-year-old youth from Manipur, Rajkumar Mypaksana, in connection with an ongoing probe into the ethnic violence in the northeastern state.

Rajkumar, a resident of Imphal, was apprehended from a hotel in Thalassery, Kerala, where he had recently begun working as housekeeping staff. The arrest came after several days of covert surveillance by the agency, which had tracked him to a rented residence in Manjodi, Thiruvangad.

Sources said NIA officials, posing as health inspectors conducting routine monsoon checks, confirmed Rajkumar’s identity using his Aadhaar card and a distinctive tattoo on his neck.

Investigators revealed that Rajkumar is a trained cadre of a banned militant organisation and was found in possession of a forged passport.

The NIA is now expanding the investigation to identify others who may have escaped Manipur by adopting false identities or using similar methods. Further interrogation and digital forensic examinations are underway.