Imphal: S. Palal Thadou, alias Lalboi Singson, whom the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has identified as an alleged finance head of the proscribed United Kuki National Army (UKNA), has been remanded to judicial custody at Guwahati Central Jail until September 3, 2026.
Thadou was shifted to Assam following a virtual production hearing before the NIA Special Court-II in Manipur on August 21. The prosecution had opposed keeping him in a jail in Manipur, citing security concerns amid the continuing tensions in the state.
The NIA arrested Thadou on August 12 in connection with the April 7 bomb attack at Tronglaobi Awang Leikai in Bishnupur district. The attack, registered at Moirang Police Station and later taken over by the NIA as RC-04/2026/NIA/IMP, killed two children aged five years and five months and critically injured their mother, Oinam Binita.
According to investigators, the attack involved an explosive device launched from a nearby hillside that struck a residential area. The case has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The NIA has alleged that Thadou played a key role in financing the UKNA. Investigators are also examining his alleged links to several other incidents in Manipur.
These include a bomb blast at Torbung on December 16, 2025, registered under FIR No. 167(12)2025 at Churachandpur Police Station; firing in the Molnom area during the period surrounding the formation of the Manipur government on the intervening night of February 3 and 4, 2026; and a firing incident in Kaprang on July 4, 2026, ahead of the Chief Minister’s visit to Churachandpur.
Investigators have also linked him to a firing incident involving CRPF personnel during a recce on March 25 and another firing near a CRPF camp in Bishnupur district on March 26. The latter was registered under FIR No. 12(03)2026 at Phougakchao Ikhai Police Station.
The Tronglaobi case is being treated as a major breakthrough in the investigation. The case, initially registered as FIR No. 23(4)2026 at Moirang Police Station, was subsequently re-registered by the NIA as RC-04/2026/NIA/IMP.
During the August 21 hearing, the NIA’s special public prosecutor argued that keeping Thadou in Manipur could pose security risks because of the prevailing law-and-order situation and ethnic tensions. The prosecution also expressed concerns that detention in the state could allow him to communicate with suspected associates and other persons allegedly involved in the wider network.
Thadou’s defence counsel, however, sought his transfer to the District Jail in Churachandpur, citing health-related concerns and the need to facilitate family visits.
The court rejected the request for detention in Churachandpur and directed that Thadou be shifted to Assam. He was subsequently transported under security cover and lodged at Guwahati Central Jail.
The NIA investigation is continuing, with agencies examining alleged financial and communication links connected to the UKNA and the series of incidents under investigation.