Key accused in killing of 6 Meiteis in Manipur's Jiribam arrested in Assam

GUWAHATI — A person allegedly involved in the killing of six Meiteis in Manipur’s Jiribam district has been arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Assam Police in a joint operation in Cachar district on Thursday, police said.

The accused, identified as Thanglienlal Hmar alias Boya, a resident of Moinathol village in the district, was arrested based on specific intelligence inputs, Cachar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Numal Mahatta told reporters.

Hmar is accused of playing a key logistical role in the abduction and subsequent killing of the six victims—three women and three children, Mahatta said.

"He was actively involved in transporting the victims and the armed assailants to the location where the killings were executed," he said.

He had used his boat to ferry the victims along with three armed attackers, all dressed in camouflage uniforms, from Jakuradhar Ghat to Kaisalpunjee village Ghat in Jiribam district.

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The NIA had been tracking Hmar’s movements for several months and his arrest is considered a major development in the case.

"We are committed to ensuring that all involved in the killings are booked and we are supporting the central agency in this," Mahatta said.

Hmar is currently in NIA's custody and is being interrogated to gather more information on the network of individuals who facilitated the attack.

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The victims were later found murdered, and their bodies were recovered from three different areas near the Assam-Manipur border in November last year.

The day these six persons were abducted, 10 suspected militants were killed in an encounter with security forces, and their bodies were later brought to Assam for post-mortem examination.

This incident fueled existing ethnic tensions between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups, which began spreading to Assam.

The Assam government had subsequently increased security arrangements along the border.

The Union Home Ministry transferred the case to the NIA in December last year, and the central agency identified several individuals for their alleged involvement in the killings.