New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) A special PMLA court here has taken cognisance of a money laundering chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate against two arrested cadres of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), a banned terrorist outfit of Manipur.

The prosecution complaint (chargesheet) was filed on December 12 against Thokchom Gyaneshor alias Thoiba/Sidabamapu and Laimayum Anand Sharma alias Ingba, the federal agency said in a statement.

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A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Delhi took cognisance of this chargesheet on Wednesday, it said.

The two persons were arrested by the ED on October 16 and they are in judicial custody at present.

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The UNLF was established in 1964 with the aim of making Manipur independent from India.

The terror outfit also has an armed wing called Manipur People's Army (MPA). It was banned by the Union government in 2004.

Gyaneshor, as per the ED, is a self-styled "Chief of Army Staff" and "Secretary, External and Regional Affairs Department"of the outfit. Sharma is a self-styled "Intelligence Officer" of UNLF.

The money laundering case stems from a July, 2023 FIR and two chargesheets filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) this year in a case related to a "trans-national conspiracy" hatched by "Myanmar-based" leadership of terror outfits active in the northeastern states to exploit the ethnic unrest in Manipur, to "wage war" against the government of India and execute terrorist attacks, thereby "exacerbating" the security situation in Manipur.

The probe found that "huge" funds were raised and collected by UNLF cadres from general public and business persons from Manipur by threatening them, by way of unauthorised collection and extortion of toll taxes at various national highways, etc., the ED said.

"Cadres of UNLF also carried illegal weapons while making such demands to threaten the general public. The funds raised through collection/extortion were collected in cash to escape the scrutiny of law enforcement authorities," the ED said.

The funds were raised by UNLF as part of a "larger conspiracy" and were utilised in a planned manner on recruitment and training of UNLF cadres, acquisition of illegal arms and ammunition, arranging logistics and maintenance of the organisation and its camps as well as individual expenses of the cadres, it said.

The agency said analysis of digital devices seized from the two cadres stated that they were actively involved in raising of funds, preparation of budget and acquisition of illegal arms.

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