Imphal: The death toll from the October 19 ambush on civilian firewood collectors at Sunulok Hill in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district has risen to four after an injured victim died at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) on Saturday.
The deceased was identified as 58-year-old Sorokhaibam Ibomcha, a resident of Nongsum Mayai Leikai in Imphal East district. He succumbed to bullet injuries sustained during the attack, officials said.
Three other civilians were killed in the ambush, allegedly carried out by cadres of the Kuki National Front (KNF-N), identified as Arubam Ronil, 35, Lairenlakpam Inaobi, 51, and Kshetrimayum Sushil, 32.
The victims were part of a group of villagers who had gone to the Sunurok hills, also referred to as Sunulok Hill in reports, near Nongshum to collect firewood when they were allegedly attacked by armed cadres of the KNF-N’s Nehlun faction.
Following the incident, Manipur Police arrested three suspected cadres allegedly linked to the attack. They were identified as Heminthang Khongsai, Lungunpao Kipgen and Seilal Haokip.
According to security briefings, two of the arrested individuals reportedly admitted during preliminary interrogation to being directly involved in the assault team. The alleged role of the third suspect remains under investigation.
Joint security forces subsequently recovered a cache of weapons and explosives based on disclosures made by the accused, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) said. The seized items reportedly included an INSAS rifle, an AK-47, an M16 rifle, a sniper rifle, explosives and improvised rocket launchers.
Security operations were also extended to Sinai Camp, a designated Suspension of Operations (SoO) site, where 17 individuals were detained after their identities reportedly failed to match official lists of cadres. Authorities also found ammunition discrepancies at the camp, prompting a detailed inventory verification.
In a separate operation, joint security teams conducted search operations in the Sangaiyupam area of Cherapur. Police searched around 146 houses, verified more than 300 individuals and arrested two suspects. A double-barrel shotgun was also recovered during the operation.
Senior police officials, including Director General of Police Mukesh Singh, conducted aerial and ground surveillance to monitor the security operations.
Meanwhile, the administration appealed to residents to avoid spreading unverified information on social media and maintain peace as joint security operations continued across the region.