Manipur: CBI arrests fifth accused in abduction, killing of two Meitei students

Four suspects – two men, Paominlun Haokip and S Malsawm Haokip, and two women, Lhingneichong Baitekuki and Tinneilhing Henthang – were arrested on October 1 by the CBI-led security forces team in connection with the alleged abduction and killing of two students belonging to the Meitei group.

The Crime Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a 22-year-old man in connection with the alleged abduction and murder of the two Meitei students in Manipur, who had gone missing since July 6, officials aware of the matter said on Friday. This is the fifth arrest in the case.

Paolun Mang was arrested on Wednesday from Pune in Maharashtra and produced before a CBI court, which sent him to police custody until October 16, said officials.

“Mang’s role was prominent behind the abduction and murder of the two students. He is being questioned based on the interrogation of the four people who were arrested before,” said a CBI official, who asked not to be named.

Four suspects – two men, Paominlun Haokip and S Malsawm Haokip, and two women, Lhingneichong Baitekuki and Tinneilhing Henthang – were arrested on October 1 by the CBI-led security forces team in connection with the alleged abduction and killing of two students belonging to the Meitei group.

The probe so far has revealed that the boy – Phijam Hemanjit Singh (20) of Takyel and girl Luwangbi Linthoingambi Hijam (17) of Tera – were allegedly abducted by Kuki militants in Laimaton on July 6. While CBI officials are yet to recover the bodies, photographs surfaced in September indicated that they were killed.

For more than two months, until their photos surfaced on social media, the families of the students believed that their children were missing but were alive somewhere in the ethnic strife-torn state.

However, on September 25, two days after the state government restored cellular internet services, several photos of the students surfaced on social media.

One photo showed them sitting on the ground in what appears to be a forest with two armed men in the background, and another showed them apparently lying dead. The two are wearing the same clothes as seen in the first photograph. Their faces are not visible in the second photograph. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the photographs.

The incident once again triggered protests across the state. On September 28, a huge mob even tried to storm chief minister Biren Singh’s private residence at Luwangsangbam. Police and security forces had to resort to firing tear gas shells to contain the protests in the days after the photos surfaced on social media.

A special CBI team led by senior officer special director Ajay Bhatnagar was flown to Imphal to probe the alleged murder of the two students.

Officials said that the CBI is on the lookout for LHingneichong’s husband, Wohkhogin Baite alias Tiger (36), a militant who is alleged to be the main accused in the case.