Imphal, 8 March

A serving Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Indian Army was abducted from his home in Manipur's Thoubal district by anti-social elements on Friday, officials said.

They said the JCO, identified as Konsam Kheda Singh, a resident of Charangpat Mamang Leikai, was on leave when some people barged into his home at 9am and bundled him in a vehicle and fled. Though the cause of the abduction is not known, initial reports suggest that it was an extortion case as his family had received such threats in the past, the officials said.

On receiving information, a coordinated search operation has been launched by all security agencies to rescue the JCO. Checking of all vehicles plying on National Highway 102 is currently in progress. The cause of the abduction is not known and further details are awaited.

This is the fourth incident since the commencement of the conflict in Manipur wherein soldiers while on leave, on duty or their relatives have been targeted for nefarious interests by inimical elements.

In September 2023, a former Assam Regiment soldier Serto Thangthang Kom was kidnapped and killed by an unidentified armed group from the valley. He was posted in Manipur's Leimakhong with the Defence Service Corps (DSC).

Two months later, an unidentified armed group kidnapped four people while they were travelling in an SUV from the hill district Churachandpur to Leimakhong, and killed them. The four were family members of an Indian Army soldier serving in Jammu and Kashmir.

A fifth passenger, the father of the soldier, who was injured, managed to escape and was later airlifted by the army to Dimapur for treatment. He was eventually shifted to the base hospital in Guwahati, Assam.

An Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) from Manipur Police was attacked in his house in Imphal city on 27 February. The attackers in this case were identified as Arambai Tenggol (AT), a radical Meitei group.