NIA to Probe Rs 18.85 Crore Bank Robbery in Manipur
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a case to probe the daring robbery of Rs 18.85 crore from the Punjab National Bank (PNB) branch in Viewland, Ukhrul, which took place on 30 November 2023. The central government ordered the NIA takeover after fresh intelligence and arrests pointed to the role of armed cadres allegedly linked to the eastern faction of the NSCN/IM, led by a commander identified as P Joseph (alias P Jackson). The move follows arrests of suspects earlier this year and aims to examine cross-border links, arms procurement motives and any wider conspiracy.
On the evening of Nov 30, 2023, a group of masked, armed men entered the PNB branch at Viewland in Ukhrul town. Evidence and contemporaneous reports describe approximately ten armed men who overpowered staff and security, restrained employees, accessed the strong room or cash chest, and left with roughly Rs 18.85 crore in cash — a staggering sum for a single heist. The PNB Viewland branch serves as the district’s currency chest, which explains why so much cash was stored there at the time. The CCTV visuals and eyewitness reports from that night became key early leads for police.
Initially, local police handled the case. But events over the last year shifted the balance. Arrests made in 2025 by Nagaland Police (on July 30, 2025), and subsequent handover of suspects to Manipur police, revealed leads that suggested the theft wasn’t merely a local gang’s jackpot. The Union Home Ministry reviewed the evidence and, on 3 September 2025, ordered the NIA to register a case and take over the probe — citing the scale of the offence, its national and international ramifications, and the potential of uncovering a broader conspiracy tying the loot to insurgent activities and weapons procurement. The NIA’s involvement indicates the central government believes there are elements of organized violent crime and cross-border dimensions that need a national investigative response.
Who’s accused: the alleged role of NSCN/IM eastern faction and P Joseph
The allegation that the perpetrators were not a petty gang but armed cadres of the eastern faction of the NSCN/IM (National Socialist Council of Nagaland / Isak-Muivah) — a proscribed armed group. NIA and other central agencies have pointed to a leader identified as Lt Col (then Major) P Joseph, also known as P Jackson, from Roni village in Kamjong district, as the person who allegedly led or orchestrated the operation. Authorities say the group’s motive, as uncovered during subsequent arrests and interrogations, was to procure high-end weaponry to reinforce positions across the Myanmar border and to strengthen their hold in areas of interest. That claim transforms the case from a local crime into a suspected insurgent financing operation.
FAQs
1. What exactly did the NIA register an FIR for?
The NIA registered a case to investigate the robbery of Rs 18.85 crore from the Punjab National Bank branch at Viewland, Ukhrul, which occurred on 30 November 2023; the move followed a Union Home Ministry order in September 2025 after key arrests revealed possible insurgent links.
2. Who are the suspects and what is the alleged motive?
Authorities have named cadres of the eastern faction of the NSCN/IM, led by an alleged commander P Joseph (alias P Jackson), as being involved — investigators say the money may have been intended to procure weapons and strengthen positions across the Myanmar border.
3. How did the robbery happen practically — was it violent?
Yes. Reports from the night of the raid describe around ten masked armed men entering the branch, restraining staff and security personnel, and fleeing with the cash — a highly coordinated and violent operation.
4. Why is the NIA involved instead of local police?
The NIA was asked to take over because of the alleged national and international ramifications — suspected insurgent funding, possible cross-border links, and the scale of the theft — which require central investigative powers and inter-state/international coordination.
5. What outcomes should the public look for in the coming months?
Watch for the NIA’s charge sheet, any financial tracing results (indicating where the money moved), follow-on arrests of middlemen or financiers, and formal international judicial cooperation requests — those will reveal whether investigators have broken the network or are still finding the threads.
