Imphal: The Manipur Police Cyber Crime Unit has identified a widely circulated social media post as fake and misleading.
The post claimed that Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel had arrested Tangkhul cadres linked to the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) for allegedly carrying out illegal extortion along National Highway 37, which connects Imphal with Silchar through Jiribam.
In a statement posted on its official X account, Manipur Police said the claim of a security breach and the alleged forced release of the suspects was false.
Police said the arrested person remains in custody, contrary to claims that the individual was released after a confrontation with a large gathering.
The accused was arrested with an unauthorised pistol, cash and a communication set. A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered in the case, and the accused has been remanded to police custody by the local court.
Police have not disclosed the identity of the arrested person or details of the operation, citing the ongoing investigation.
The clarification came in response to a viral post by an X account named ‘The Proud Indian’. The post claimed that CRPF personnel had detained NSCN-IM-linked Tangkhul cadres for allegedly collecting money illegally along NH-37.
The post also claimed that security forces were overpowered and forced to surrender the detainee after a group of women confronted them, attempted to assault them and obstructed their duties. Manipur Police rejected the entire sequence of events as false.
Police warned social media users and online handlers against circulating false, unverified or misleading information.
The department said legal action would be taken against individuals or digital accounts found deliberately spreading such information with the intention of causing public unrest or communal discord.
The development comes amid heightened security tensions in the region. NH-37 connects Imphal with Jiribam and the Barak Valley.