In a strange incident, a top surrendered militant leader in Manipur and his close aide was shot dead by unidentified gunmen inside a ‘safe house’ located inside the highly secured complex of the 7th Manipur Rifles Battalion on Tuesday night, a senior police official said on Wednesday.
The sources in Manipur police confirmed this and said that former vice chairman of militant outfit PREPAK, Ningombam Nabachandra alias Nongdrenkhomba and one of his close associate, identified as leisangthem Sanjit Singh alias Chingkhei was found dead inside the 7th Manipur Rifles Complex at Khabeisoi area near State capital Imphal on Tuesday night.
He said that both had surrendered to the police in 2014 and houses in the ‘safe house’ since then. Both the bodies bore bullet injuries.
The incident had sent the security forces into a tizzy in the troubled northeastern State, which had been witnessing worst ever militancy since last several decades.
Police said that Nongdrenkhomba had been underground for over last three decades and it is only 2014 that he surrendered to Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh along with his close associate Chingkhei.
The Manipur Home department had already ordered a probe into the incidents that led to the killing.
It may be mentioned here that although the ‘safe house’ is located inside the highly secured 7th Manipur Rifles complex, the existing security arrangements was relaxed little bit on Tuesday on the occasion of a local festival of the State called, lai Haraoba.