IMPHAL: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has made significant headway in two separate terror cases linked to attacks and violence by militant groups in Manipur. The investigation agency made three more arrests of accused persons over the past few days in connection with the deadly IED attack in Bishnupur district and the armed ambush on the Chief Minister’s convoy.
Trongloabi IED case
Continuing its investigation into the Trongloabi IED blast case, in which two infants were killed in their own home, the NIA arrested 48-year-old Thangmang Haokip, a Kuki militant leader and resident of Churachandpur, on September 25. He is the second person to be taken into custody in connection with the improvised explosive device attack that shook Trongloabi Awang Leikai in Moirang, Bishnupur district, back on April 7 this year.
The attack, investigators say, was carried out by unidentified militants who fired an explosive device from a nearby hillside, striking the wall of a residential house. The blast left three members of a family seriously injured — two of them children, who later succumbed to their injuries. An unexploded improvised RPG was also recovered from near the site, pointing to the scale of firepower involved.
After the deadly attack, a case was registered at Moirang Police Station. After huge public outrage and anger, the case was transferred to the NIA for a proper investigation on April 23. The investigating agency invoked provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Explosive Substances Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act while registering the case, and during the course of its investigation, Haokip’s role in the attack came to light, leading to his arrest.
He was produced before the Special NIA Court-II in Imphal, which remanded him to 12 days of police custody. The first accused in the case, S. Palal Thadou Kuki, was arrested on August 12 and remains in judicial custody. The agency has said its investigation is still underway to trace others allegedly involved and unravel the broader network behind the attack.
CM convoy ambush case
Along with the IED blast case, the NIA made significant progress in the CM convoy attack case of 2024. The security agency successfully made arrests of two more accused militants in connection with the armed ambush on the convoy of Manipur’s Chief Minister in mid-2024.
The two men, identified as Jangminlun Singson alias Franky (44) from Bethel, Churachandpur, and Thangjoel Haokip alias Thangboi (21) from Gamphajang Tuibong, Churachandpur, have now become the third and fourth accused arrested in the case. Both were produced before the Special Court for NIA Cases in Thoubal.
The ambush itself took place on June 10, 2024, when armed miscreants attacked the Chief Minister’s convoy along NH-37 near K. Sinam village in Kangpokpi district. Two security personnel were seriously injured in the deadly attack. The case was first registered at New Keithelmanbi Police Station before being taken over by the NIA in July 2024.
According to the agency, its investigation has established that the two men worked alongside other accused persons in planning and facilitating the attack, with clear linkages to the larger conspiracy behind it. Interestingly, both had already been arrested earlier by the NIA in a separate case registered in 2023, and their alleged involvement in the convoy ambush has now added another layer to the investigation.
The Special Court has remanded both accused to eight days of police custody. The NIA said further investigation is on to establish the exact roles played by the two men, trace their connections with other members of the conspiracy, and identify any others who may still be at large.
