Guwahati: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested dreaded Kuki Hmar terrorist Thanglienlal Hmar alias Boya from Assam’s Cachar district on July 31. Arrested Boya is the prime accused in the brutal killing of six Meitei civilians, including a 10-month-old baby, in Manipur’s Jiribam district bordering Assam in November 2024.
The terrorist was arrested in a joint operation by NIA and Assam police team from Cachar district. As per police sources Boya is the prime conspirator of the brutal abduction and killings of six Meitei civilians from Jiribam including three women and an infant. NIA sources said that the arrest of the wanted terrorist was based on specific intelligence and raids followed by it.
The killings, which shook the state and drew nationwide outrage, occurred in broad daylight when armed militants abducted six Meitei women and children from their homes in Jiribam—just metres away from security forces stationed in the area. The dead bodies of the deceased were later found floating in a river in the Assam Manipur border. The heinous abduction and killing of 6 innocent people including an infant was considered as one of the most brutal killings in Manipur violence started in 2023. Manipur High Court asked the investigation agency to expedite the investigation and bring the culprit to justice as soon as possible.
With Hmar’s arrest, the probe is expected to gain fresh momentum. Families of the victims and civil society groups have expressed hope that this marks the beginning of long-overdue justice for those brutally murdered.
The NIA has not ruled out further arrests as investigations continue into what it has termed an “organised and premeditated act of terror.” Manipur saw brutal killings and heinous crimes in the past two years ever since the May 2023 ethnic violence erupted. Over 200 people lost their lives and thousands were displaced in the conflict. But violence relatively decreased in the past 6 months after the president’s rule was imposed in the trouble-hit state.
