Northeast Desk, 12th January: Three individuals who went missing while collecting firewood in Manipur’s Churachandpur district were found dead on January 11, with one person still missing.
The victims, hailing from Akasoi in Bishnupur district, had gone to the hills in Churachandpur for firewood collection.
The bodies of Ibomcha Singh (51), Anand Singh (20), and Romen Singh (38) were found near Haotak Phailen, while Ahanthem Dara (56) remains missing, prompting a search operation.
The incident has raised concerns, as the forest area is guarded by security forces.
Taking to X, the Manipur Police wrote, “On 11.01.2024, security forces recovered 03 (three) dead bodies of the 04 (four) persons who reportedly went missing at Haotak Mapalok Ching, Bishnupur District on 10.01.2024.”
The Manipur Police reported the recovery of three bodies, launching a combing operation in the area to address security concerns and flush out armed miscreants.
Post-mortem examinations will be conducted at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal.
The search for the missing individual continues, with local sources suggesting the victims were innocent civilians harvesting ginger, contrary to claims of involvement in wood cutting.
An earlier version erroneously mentioned a gunfight and the involvement of Arambai Tenggol volunteers. However, government reports confirmed no gunfight occurred, and there was no evidence of Arambai Tenggol’s involvement. The errors are regretted.
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