Key conspirator in brutal Jiribam killings arrested by NIA-Assam Police team

New Delhi/Imphal, July 31 (IANS) In a major breakthrough, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a key conspirator in last year’s killing case in Manipur’s Jiribam district, the central probe agency said on Thursday.

Three women and three children were abducted and brutally murdered by militants in the Borebekra area of Jiribam district of Manipur on November 11 last year.

The bodies were disposed of in the Barak river.

NIA sources on Thursday said that the accused, Thanglienlal Hmar alias Boya, a resident of Moinathol Dilkshosh Ghaat in Cachar district of southern Assam, was arrested on Thursday by a joint team of NIA and Assam Police from the neighbouring state of Assam.

The six victims, including a 10-month-old infant, belonged to the non-tribal Meitei community.

A mobile phone, along with a SIM card, was recovered by the NIA from the possession of the accused.

Investigations have revealed that Boya was actively involved in the conspiracy and execution of the horrendous crime.

The NIA took over the case from Manipur’s Borebekra police and is now continuing the investigation of the case.

The victims’ bullet-riddled bodies were recovered on different dates from the Barak river along the Manipur-Assam border in November.

Two other civilians were also killed, and several houses were burned during the attack.

The November 11, 2024, incident triggered widespread violence in various districts of Manipur, including Jiribam, which shares an inter-state border with southern Assam.

The Manipur High Court also earlier this month directed the NIA to submit a “detailed progress report” on the Jiribam killings.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Kempaiah Somashekar and Justice Ahanthem Bimol Singh issued the directive after hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by one Soram Tekendrajit.

The NIA is the prime counter-terrorism law enforcement agency in the country. Set up in 2008, the NIA is tasked with investigating and combating offences related to terrorism, national security, and other threats affecting the sovereignty and integrity of the country.

The NIA functions operates under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The agency's primary mandate is to probe and prosecute offences that have national and cross-border implications, specifically focusing on terrorism, insurgency, and other related matters.

--IANS

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