Four CRPF personnel were killed and eight were injured when militants ambushed their party along NH 53 in Senapati district on Wednesday. Of the injured, two are said to be in a critical condition. The deceased include two havildars and two constables. No group has claimed responsibility for the strike. According to CRPF sources, the area has been cordoned off and an intensive search is in progress. The attack, which is the biggest since the ambush on IRB personnel that killed 16 lives, took place at Keithelmanbi, around 28 km from Imphal.
Assistant Commandant S Kango, Adjutant, 143 CRPF, said there were two ambushes. “After the first one at 10.45 am, the reinforcement party that was moving towards the ambush site was fired upon from some brick kilns in Patsoi. Only three shots were fired this time, but there were no casualties.”
According to Kango, the party was returning from leave and proceeding to their company locations along NH 53. In all, around 30 personnel in three trucks were proceeding ahead of Keithelmanbi village through a hilly stretch when they were ambushed. The attack came from hillocks on both sides of the highway.