Imphal, July 31: In a significant breakthrough, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), in coordination with Cachar Police, has arrested a key accused in the horrifying murder of six Meiteis including three children in Manipur’s Jiribam district last year.
The accused, identified as Thanglienlal Hmar alias Boya, was apprehended from Moinathol village in Dilkhosh Grant, Cachar. According to Cachar SSP Numal Mahatta, Hmar played a vital logistical role in the killings, using his boat to transport the victims and three armed assailants, dressed in camouflage, across the river from Jakuradhar Ghat to Kaisalpunjee village Ghat.
The victims, all from the Meitei community included three women and three children who had been abducted from the border district of Jiribam. Their lifeless bodies were later recovered from a nearby river. The deceased were identified as Yumrembam Rani Devi (60), Telem Thoibi Devi (31) and her daughter Telem Thajamanbi Devi (8), Laishram Heithoibi Devi (25), and her two sons Laishram Chingkheinganba Singh (2.5 years) and Laishram Lamnganba Singh (10 months).
The arrest follows recent directives from the Manipur High Court, which had ordered the NIA to expedite the investigation by submitting a report and filing a chargesheet within a month. The development marks a crucial step toward justice in one of the most gruesome acts of violence during the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur.
