The prime accused in the September 19 ambush on an Assam Rifles convoy in Manipur, which claimed the lives of two personnel, has been arrested, a top police officer said on Wednesday. A large number of arms and ammunition used in the ambush were also recovered based on the inputs provided by the accused, he said. “On receipt of specific information about the presence of armed militants in the Kameng area, a team of district police Imphal West, Bishnupur, 33 AR and other security forces launched a special operation on September 24 at about 1 am.
The accused, Khomdram Ojit Singh, a 47-year-old resident of Awang Leikinthabi in Imphal West district, was captured during a special operation launched at 1:00 am on Tuesday, September 23, by a joint team of Assam Rifles and other security forces in the Kameng area of Bishnupur district. The arrest came after security agencies received specific intelligence about the presence of armed militants in the region. During interrogation, Singh admitted to being a bailed-out member of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and confessed that he continues to work for the insurgent group despite his legal status. Singh’s involvement in the deadly September 19 ambush at Sabal Leikai, Nambol, in Bishnupur district has been established through his confession.
The attack, which occurred around 5:30 PM, targeted 33 Assam Rifles personnel. Following the assault, Singh and other militants fled toward Loktak Lake, where they concealed their weapons at a secret location. Acting on information provided by the suspect, security forces recovered an extensive cache of arms and ammunition from the hideout, including an A4 rifle with four magazines, an HK rifle with two magazines, two AK rifles with five magazines, and an INSAS rifle with three magazines. The recovery also yielded 170 rounds of AK ammunition, 216 rounds of M/16 ammunition, 67 rounds of INSAS ammunition, three lathode shells, a mobile handset, a wallet, and an Aadhaar card.
