Aizawl/Agartala, In a major blow to the outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), the Assam Rifles and Mizoram Police, in a joint operation, apprehended its chief Jacob Hrangkhawl from Aizawl on Wednesday, officials said.

A Defence spokesman said that the 55-year-old militant leader, who is a resident of Teliamura in western Tripura, was arrested and two mobile sets, some incriminating documents and diaries recovered from his possession.

A police official in Agartala said that a team of Tripura Police would soon go to Aizawl to bring back Hrangkhawl and initiate legal proceedings against him.

The NLFT was formed in 1989 under the leadership of Biwamohan Debbarma and set up camps in different parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar before it was banned by the Union Home Ministry in 1991. However, a large number of its leaders and cadres surrendered over the years with their arms and ammunition, leading to the outfit almost becoming non-existent.