New Delhi: A joint team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Manipur Police arrested a couple in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Friday, in connection with the abduction and killing of six Naga civilians.
A senior police official stated the joint team acted on credible intelligence inputs and carried out a coordinated operation in Leilon Vaiphei village during the early hours of Friday. The two arrested were identified as Pradip and his wife, Ayingbi, both residents of the village. Search and seizure procedures were carried out at their residence, and further legal proceedings are under way, the official said.
The bodies of the six Naga civilians were recovered on June 11 from a forested area near Kharam Vaiphei village, a Kuki-Zo settlement in Kangpokpi district, nearly a month after they were allegedly abducted on May 13. The killings triggered widespread protests, counter-blockades and renewed tensions between the Naga and Kuki-Zo communities in the state.
The Kuki-Zo Council, the apex body representing the Kuki-Zo community, had apologised for the killings and called for a fair and impartial investigation. Addressing the media in Churachandpur, the council’s chairman, Henlianthang Thanglet, admitted that members of the community had committed a “grave mistake” in the killings. Several Naga organizations, including the All Naga Students Association, Manipur, rejected the apology as insincere and demanded the arrest and prosecution of all those responsible.
According to the reports, the May 13 violence had led to the abduction of at least 50 people from the Kuki and Naga communities by different armed groups in Kangpokpi and Senapati districts, during which three church leaders were killed and four others injured. Around 30 hostages were released on May 14 and 15, while the remaining 14 Kuki villagers were released on June 10 and handed over to police through the United Naga Council and the Naga People’s Organization.
The report described the arrests as a significant breakthrough in the investigation, with police expected to continue efforts to trace the remaining accused.