Assam Rifles convoy ambush: Prime accused arrested, Manipur DGP says; arms used in attack recovered

NEW DELHI: Manipur Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Singh on Wednesday confirmed the arrest of the prime accused in the recent ambush on an Assam Rifles convoy.

Singh said that, based on inputs from the accused, security forces recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition used in the attack.


"On receipt of specific information about the presence of armed militants in the Kameng area, a team of district police Imphal West, Bishnupur, 33 Assam Rifles and other security forces launched a special operation at about 1 am. One person, namely Khomdram Ojit Singh aka Keilal (47) was apprehended. He admitted he is a bailed-out member of the PLA (People's Liberation Army of Manipur). He was directly involved in the ambush," an official statement quoted Singh as saying, according to PTI.

The DGP added that raids are underway to arrest other culprits involved in the attack.

Two Assam Rifles jawans were killed and five others injured on September 19, when a group of armed men ambushed their vehicle.

Singh also shared further details of Keilal’s background.

"He (Keilal) also revealed that he was arrested earlier on April 22, 2007. During further examination, it was revealed that he was directly involved in the ambush at Sabal Leikai, Nambol (district Bishnupur) at about 5:30 pm against the Assam Rifles personnel. After firing, he along with other persons fled towards the Loktak lake side and hid their arms and ammunition at a secret location," the officer said.

The arms and ammunition recovered include INSAS rifles and other weapons, along with magazines. Earlier, police and forensic teams had recovered several fired cartridges from the ambush site, located about 16 km from state capital Imphal.

One of the injured jawans, N Nongthon, had earlier described the sudden attack: "The assailants, numbering around four to five, suddenly opened fire at us. We did not immediately retaliate as it would have led to injuries to the public, since it was not an isolated area."

Manipur has been under President’s Rule since February, following the resignation of then-chief minister N Biren Singh. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) remains in force across the state except in 13 police station areas of the five valley districts. Notably, Nambol, where the ambush occurred, falls in Bishnupur district and had no AFSPA coverage.

The attack comes against the backdrop of ongoing ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities, which have left at least 260 people dead and thousands displaced since May 2023.

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