Enforcement Directorate searches are being carried out on five premises in Imphal related to the accused who are the key persons of Salai Group of Companies. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Tuesday (December 17, 2025) conducted searches against two persons, Yambem Biren and Narengbam Samarjit, who presented themselves to be self-styled ““Chief Minister” and “External Affairs & Defence Minister” of the “Manipur State Council” respectively.
The searches are being carried out on five premises in Imphal related to the accused who are the key persons of Salai Group of Companies, an agency official said. They are being investigated as part of a money laundering investigation in connections with a case over collecting more than Rs 50 crore worth funds from the public in the name of an investment scheme.
The case relates to a press conference held in London in 2019 wherein, Yambem Biren, claiming himself to be the “Chief Minister” and Narengbam Samarjit, styling himself as the “External Affairs and Defence Minister” of Manipur State Council, declared the “independence” of the State of Manipur from the Union of India.
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“By such prejudicial activities, they engaged in acts amounting to waging war against the State, sedition, and promoting disharmony, enmity and feelings of hatred among different groups. Based on this, the National Investigation Agency and the Central Bureau of Investigation have already registered cases against accused persosns,” the official said.
In this case, the accused had established “Kadangband Swajaldhara Implementation Committee” on May 30, 2003, and this name was later changed to Smart Society on August 10, 2008.
These two were first booked by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the CBI.
They also established another society named Salai Financial Service (SAFFINS), with its registered office at Sagolband Tera Loukrakpam Leikai, Imphal. The licence was granted subject to the provisions of the Bombay Money Lenders Act, 1946 (as extended to Manipur) and the rules made thereunder.
The accused, through the entities of Salai Group of companies, fraudulently collected cash from members of the public by promising exorbitant rates of interest.
“Smart Society functioned illegally as a non-banking financial company by accepting deposits exclusively in cash from the general public under the guise of ‘membership fees’, and disbursed interest we thereon also only in cash. In total Rs.57.36 crore was collected from gullible investors under different schemes. The monies so collected from the public were routed and deposited into the personal bank accounts of the Directors and into the accounts of Salai Group of Companies and Smart Society,” the official said.
The accused persons/entities derived the proceeds of crime to the tune of ₹57.36 crore from the criminal activities, and therefore are being investigated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The funds were diverted to their bank accounts and those of different companies of Salai Group, and used for acquiring properties, repayment of home loan, vehicle loans, and term loans etc.
“The same was used for waging war against the Government of India, indulging in sedition, and promoting disharmony, enmity and feelings of hatred among different groups, as alleged,” the official added.
With PTI inputs
Published – December 17, 2025 11:17 am IST
