Migrant killings: two militants shot dead

During questioning, Kocha said that on Monday afternoon, at around 3.30 pm, two unidentified armed youths came on a motorcycle to his residence and forced him to accompany them in his van. One of them rode with Kocha to Wabagai Tera Pishak in Thoubal.

On reaching there, seven migrant labourers were brought out of a house with their hands tied behind by two persons known to him as Sarangthem Sanjoy and Elangbam Datta 8212; both residents of his locality. All seven migrant labourers, besides Sanjoy and Datta, got into the van. The two then forced him to drive to Mayang Imphal. On reaching there, the seven were asked to get out of the van, while Kocha was asked to park some distance away.

Following this, Sanjoy, Datta and another person who had forced him to drive to the pick-up point, opened fire on the seven migrants, Kocha said in his statement. The three then got into the van and made him drive to Sekmaijin bridge where the trio got off with their weapons. After this, Kocha said he drove home.

8220;Based on a tip-off that KYKL cadres directly linked to the killings were lurking in the general area of Charoibung and Upokpi along the Indo-Burma road, a team of police commandos from Bishnupur and Imphal west approached the area. Soon the commandos came under fire and they retaliated. The gunfight continued for around 15 minutes before the firing from the militants8217; side stopped. A search of the area threw up two bodies. One AK series rifle with nine rounds and one pistol with four rounds were recovered from the spot.

Kocha was taken to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences morgue where the bodies of slain militants had been brought. He identified them as Sanjoy and Datta. Both are known to be KYKL activists,8221; Joykumar said.

He added that police are trying to trace the third killer and have also got vital leads in the investigations into the killings of eight more migrant labourers on Tuesday which point to KYKL involvement.