In a fresh push to secure India’s porous border with Myanmar, Manipur’s Chandel district has begun compulsory **online biometric registration** of all foreigners intercepted in the area. Deputy Commissioner Laishram Nandakumar told the Economic Times on 30 November that police, immigration staff and Assam Rifles personnel have been trained to use new handheld scanners that upload fingerprints and facial images directly to the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Foreigners Identification Portal. Until now, officers captured prints on paper and later entered them manually, a process that caused delays and data mismatches.
The initiative follows repeated reports of unauthorised entries by economic migrants and refugees fleeing unrest in Myanmar. State officials say at least 720 people were detected in Chandel alone this year, many using jungle tracks that bypass formal checkpoints. Because the online system verifies identity in real time against central databases and Interpol notices, authorities can quickly confirm nationality and flag suspects with criminal records or terror links.
![Manipur’s Chandel district launches 100 % online biometric registration to curb illegal border crossings]()
For corporate travel managers, the move signals tighter scrutiny of foreign nationals in India’s North-East. Companies sending technicians to border infrastructure or energy projects should expect longer clearance times at Imphal Airport and more documentation checks when personnel move by road to remote work sites. Fixers who previously relied on local letters of introduction may now have to schedule appointments for biometric capture and allow a two-day buffer before workers can cross into protected areas.
The online shift also has humanitarian implications. International NGOs assisting displaced communities must ensure their field teams carry valid passports, multiple-entry visas and project authorisations to avoid detention. The district administration claims the new system will speed up legitimate deportations while protecting genuine asylum seekers, but lawyers caution that real-time uploads could increase pressure to remove persons before legal aid can be arranged.
Over the next quarter the Manipur government plans to replicate Chandel’s model in Tengnoupal and Ukhrul districts, creating a digital net along 390 km of the Indo-Myanmar frontier. If successful, the technology could be rolled out to other sensitive borders, including parts of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, marking a step-change in India’s use of biometrics for immigration control.
The initiative follows repeated reports of unauthorised entries by economic migrants and refugees fleeing unrest in Myanmar. State officials say at least 720 people were detected in Chandel alone this year, many using jungle tracks that bypass formal checkpoints. Because the online system verifies identity in real time against central databases and Interpol notices, authorities can quickly confirm nationality and flag suspects with criminal records or terror links.
For corporate travel managers, the move signals tighter scrutiny of foreign nationals in India’s North-East. Companies sending technicians to border infrastructure or energy projects should expect longer clearance times at Imphal Airport and more documentation checks when personnel move by road to remote work sites. Fixers who previously relied on local letters of introduction may now have to schedule appointments for biometric capture and allow a two-day buffer before workers can cross into protected areas.
The online shift also has humanitarian implications. International NGOs assisting displaced communities must ensure their field teams carry valid passports, multiple-entry visas and project authorisations to avoid detention. The district administration claims the new system will speed up legitimate deportations while protecting genuine asylum seekers, but lawyers caution that real-time uploads could increase pressure to remove persons before legal aid can be arranged.
Over the next quarter the Manipur government plans to replicate Chandel’s model in Tengnoupal and Ukhrul districts, creating a digital net along 390 km of the Indo-Myanmar frontier. If successful, the technology could be rolled out to other sensitive borders, including parts of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, marking a step-change in India’s use of biometrics for immigration control.
