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Manipur: Bodies of 3 missing men found; search on for fourth, say police
Four persons from Manipur’s Kumbi assembly constituency, who had gone to collect firewood near the hill ranges adjoining Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts, went missing on Wednesday
Guwahati: The bodies of three men, including a father-son duo, were found early on Thursday in Manipur’s Bishnupur district, a day after four men belonging to the Meitei community were reported missing, police said, adding a search is underway for the fourth.
The three deceased have been identified as Thoudam Ibomcha (53), his son Thoudam Anand (27) and Oinam Romen (45). The missing person has been identified as Ahanthem Dara (55).
The three persons were suspected to be killed by militants, a police officer said. Police said they found the three bodies on the foothills of Wangoo Sabal Meichakpi Hills.
“We can confirm that three bodies have been found, and search is on to locate the fourth person,” a senior police official said on condition of anonymity.
Four persons from Manipur’s Kumbi assembly constituency, who had gone to collect firewood near the hill ranges adjoining Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts, went missing on Wednesday.
They went missing from a village close to the border between Meitei-dominated Bishnupur and Kuki-majority Chrachandpur districts, following which a search was initiated to trace them, police said.
Meanwhile, the militants launched fresh gun and bomb attacks at Haotak village in the Bishnupur district, prompting more than 100 people to flee to safer areas.
Following the incident, security forces were rushed to the spot, leading to a gunfight in the buffer zone during the day.
Manipur has been roiled by ethnic violence between Meitei and tribal Kuki-Zo communities since May last year. The violence claimed over 200 lives, left more than a thousand injured and displaced around 50,000.
