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Manipur: NIA arrests prime suspect in 2023 police officer murder case
The NIA on Thursday arrested a resident of Moreh, a prime suspect, in connection with the murder of Chingtham’s sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) in 2023.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested a 59-year-old resident of Manipur’s Moreh, a prime suspect, in connection with the murder of Chingtham’s sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) in 2023.
SDPO (Moreh) Chingtham Anand Kumar, officer in charge of the Moreh police station, was overseeing the cleaning of the grounds for the construction of a helipad at a school ground in Moreh, a commercial town near the boundary with Myanmar, when he was shot at with a sniper rifle from some distance.
The wounded officer was rushed to a nearby health centre and later airlifted to Imphal, 130 km away, where he succumbed to his injuries.
A statement issued by the agency on Thursday said that the Manipur Police Service (MPS) officer was killed by suspected Kuki militants using sophisticated arms in 2023.
“The accused, Otkhothang Baite @ Othang Baite, a resident of Moreh in Tengnoupal district of Manipur, was involved in the conspiracy behind the attack by members of a suspected Kuki militant group on a district police team in a playground,” the statement added.
The Moreh police had registered a case, which was taken over by the NIA in March 2024.
The anti-terror agency had earlier this month arrested another accused, Kamginthang Gangte, in the case, the statement said, adding that the investigation is underway.
Manipur has been under crisis since May 3, 2023, amid clashes between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. The unrest has already claimed over 260 lives, but a recent RTI reply cited by a senior Congress leader stated that 217 people have been paid ex gratia. Additionally, over 60,000 individuals have been displaced.
