CBI arrests 4 in connection to the killing of the two Meitei students; NIA nabs 1 for ‘waging war against the Govt. of India’

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Sunday arrested 4 people including 2 men and 2 women in connection to the abduction and murder of the two Meitei students. The pictures of the two students confirming their death surfaced after the restoration of the internet, 80 days after they went missing. The pictures went viral on social media and led to massive protests across the valley. The suspects were flown out of Imphal to Guwahati by a joint team of the Manipur Police and the CBI.

Identified as Paominlun Haokip, Malsawn Haokip, Lhingneichong Baite, and Tinneikhol were arrested from the hill regions of the Churachandpur district in a joint operation carried out by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Manipur Police. Following the arrest, the 4 accused for their alleged role in the kidnapping and killing of the two students were immediately flown out of Imphal to Guwahati where a CBI team was waiting for them.

The two students left home on July 6 and did not return, the families filed missing diaries, however, the police were unable to help their case. A photograph confirming their death surfaced on social media 80 days after they went missing and it triggered massive protests mostly led by students across the valley.

Taking to X, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said, “I’m pleased to share that some of the main culprits responsible for the abduction and murder of Phijam Hemanjit and Hijam Linthoingambi have been arrested from Churachandpur today. As the saying goes, one may abscond after committing the crime, but they cannot escape the long hands of the law. We are committed to ensuring maximum punishment, including capital punishment, for the heinous crime they have committed.” In lieu of the protests triggered by the death of the two students, Chief Minister N.Biren Singh’s ancestral home in Imphal was attacked by an angry mob on Thursday.

In tandem with the Kwakta Bomb Blasts of July 21 that killed 3 civilians, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a joint operation with the Manipur Police arrested one of the main accused from Manipur’s Churachandpur district on Sunday. Identified as Seiminlun Gangte was arrested in a case of transnational conspiracy fueled by Bangladesh and Myanmar ‘based terror outfits to wage war against the govt. of India exploiting the current ethnic violence in the state of Manipur.’

The Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh alleged that terrorist groups from Bangladesh and Myanmar have joined hands with insurgent outfits of Manipur and are using the ethnic conflict of Manipur to their advantage and wreak havoc in the state.

A statement released by the National Investigation Agency states that ‘Myanmar and Bangladesh-based militant groups have entered into a conspiracy with a section of militant leaders in India to indulge in incidents of violence with an intention to drive a wedge between different ethnic groups and wage war against the Government of India.’

The ethnic clashes that broke out in Manipur since May 3 have claimed over 180 lives and displaced several thousands in the strife-torn state.

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