IMPHAL: A seven-year-old girl, displaced following ethnic conflict in Manipur, who went missing from a relief camp on Sunday, has been found dead in Imphal East district, police said.
Police said a 28-year-old man arrested in connection with the disappearance of a minor confessed to kidnapping, raping and killing the girl.
The recovery of the body led to a confrontation between displaced demonstrators in the area and the police, who had to fire tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd.
The girl was displaced from Moreh after clashes broke out between the Meite and Kuki Zo communities on May 3, 2023, and was living in a relief camp in the Akambat district of the same region.
The family members of the minor filed a missing person complaint on Sunday at Erlbong police station in Imphal East district, officials said.
After the complaint, Police teams from Imphal East and Imphal West districts launched coordinated search efforts. Senior officers, including district chiefs, supervised the operation on the ground. Investigators examined CCTV footage from nearby areas, which led to the identification of the suspect, who was allegedly last seen with the minor.
The accused, identified as Laishram Langamba (28 years old), was arrested for questioning. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to kidnapping, raping and killing the child and disposing of his body under a bridge at Singhjami Wangma Kshetri Likai, East Imphal, near the crematorium.
A senior police officer said in an official statement: “Based on the discovery of the accused, the body of the minor was recovered in the early hours from the specified location. The accused was detained, and legal procedures are still underway.”
“We acted immediately upon receiving the complaint. Continuous research, technical analysis and coordinated field work helped us solve the case quickly,” said Pooja Malani, officer-in-charge of Erlbong Police Station.
Tensions flared later in the day when displaced people from the relief camp gathered outside Erlbong police station, demanding the death penalty for the accused. The protest escalated into a confrontation with security personnel, prompting police to fire tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd.
