8 members of militant outfit picked up over killing of migrant labourers

Two teenage construction workers from Bihar were shot dead in Kakching district of Manipur on Saturday evening.

Imphal: Eight cadres of the banned militant outfit Kangleipak Communist Party (People's War Group) were arrested from Manipur's Kakching district in connection with the recent killing of two migrant labourers from Bihar, police said on Tuesday.

Search operations were launched across Manipur on December 14 to apprehend those who were involved in the killing of the two labourers, and an active member of the proscribed outfit was first apprehended from Kakching Lamkhai area on Monday, a police statement said.

"From his inputs, a police team raided a camp located at the Kakching Mamang Ching Laipham Loknung area and arrested seven more cadres of KCP (PWG) from there," the police said.

Arms and ammunition and 10 mobile phones were recovered from their possession, the police statement said.

The KCP (PWG) is a faction of the banned outfit Kangleipak Communist Party, which was accused of being involved in extortion and other crimes in Imphal Valley.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh had condemned the brutal killing of young brothers, Sunalal Kumar (18) and Dasharat Kumar (17), from Bihar in Kakching district of Manipur.

"This act of terrorism is a direct assault on our values, and my deepest condolences go out to their grieving families," he had said.

Singh also announced Rs 10 lakh ex gratia for each of the bereaved family and said the case would be transferred to NIA, if needed.