CBI files 2 charge sheets against 5 accused for abduction of two Manipuri students

Imphal, Dec 3:The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed two separate charge sheets against five accused in connection with the case of two missing students in Manipur, who were feared killed during the ethnic violence in the state, officials said today.

Photos showing their bodies surfaced on September 25, leading to protests, mainly by students. The CBI, however, is yet to find the bodies.

The agency filed the charge sheets in the interconnected cases before a designated special court in Assam's Kamrup, giving a sequence of events before they went missing.

According to the CBI, the boy went to pick up the girl from her tuition class on July 6, following which they were intercepted by a group of people and "held captive by the five accused" named in the charge sheet. The accused forcibly put them in a vehicle and took them to an undisclosed location, where they were "suspectedly killed," the CBI said in a statement.

Among the accused, Paolunmang was arrested from Pune and Paominlun Haokip, Smalsawm Haokip and Lhingneichong Baitekuki were arrested from Churachandpur district, while another accused, Nohgin Baitekuki, is currently on the run.

The parents of the missing teenagers filed First Information Reports (FIRs) with the Imphal police and the Lamphel police on July 8 and July 19, respectively.

Meanwhile, the girl’s father alleged that the boy may have kidnapped his daughter to marry her without consent; on the other hand, the boy’s father alleged his son may have been abducted by the miscreants.