Chennai, Sep 10 (IANS) The arrested general secretary of the outlawed United National Liberation Front (UNLF) Khundong Bam Thomba was Sunday flown to Imphal by a special flight from Coimbatore.

The 55-year-old Thomba, also known by the names Sunil and Pambi, was arrested Sep 5 from Ganga Hospital in Coimbatore, where he was undergoing treatment for a spinal injury. He is unable to walk.

His aide Salam Pung was also arrested.

"He was operated upon Aug 30 and was under post-surgical care," his physician S. Rajasekharan told reporters.

Thomba and Pung were kept in the Coimbatore central jail.

After legal clearance for their transit, a six-member team led by a senior police official from Manipur took Thomba and Pung to the airport under tight security cover.

Earlier, nearly 20 Manipuri students who were said to have helped Thomba were questioned. A laptop, cell phones, Rs.35,000 in cash and clothes were seized from the group.

Thomba was tracked to Coimbatore through a phone call made from his mobile phone to a UNLF camp in Manipur.