Neck Slashed in Broad-Day Commercial Hub: Two accused allegedly travelled to Thangal Bazar with a machete to kill the victim; blood-stained clothes and their two-wheeler seized.
BY PC Bureau
September 8, 2026: A man from Assam was brutally killed in central Imphal late Monday night after two men allegedly attacked him with a machete outside Axis Bank in Thangal Bazar, one of the city’s busiest commercial areas.
The incident occurred on September 7. The victim, originally from Borojalenga village in Silchar, Assam, had been living in Thangal Bazar. His full name has not been released by police.
According to Manipur Police, an FIR was registered at City Police Station and two suspects were arrested by Tuesday morning. They were identified as Yendrembam Paona Singh, 60, and Laishram Ngongo Meitei, 39, both residents of Kanglasiphai Makha Leikai.
🚨#ManipurHorror
HORRIFIC CCTV🎦: INNOCENT “NON-MANIPURI” MAN FROM ASSAM BUTCHERED AND HACKED TO DEATH IN THE STREETS OF IMPHAL.▪︎▪︎The victim has been identified as Ankush Das.
▪︎▪︎Two People have been arrested with the murder: Yendrembam Paona Singh & Laishram momo,… https://t.co/aWPoMDp6OY pic.twitter.com/3vWosGziTV
— J Shakur (@JShakurB) September 8, 2026
Police said Paona Singh allegedly confessed during interrogation that the killing was carried out as an act of revenge following a dispute with the victim over alleged dealings involving contraband ganja. According to the police account, Singh and his associate went to Thangal Bazar intending to kill the victim, before allegedly slashing his neck with a machete.
Following investigation into an FIR registered at City Police Station regarding a homicide case wherein an individual from Borojalenga Village, Silchar, Assam (currently residing at Thangal Bazar) was murdered by slashing his neck with a machete on 07/09/2026 at Thangal Bazar,…
— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) September 8, 2026
Investigators have seized blood-stained clothes allegedly worn by Paona Singh and recovered the two-wheeler reportedly used by the accused to reach the crime scene. The machete allegedly used in the murder has not been recovered, and police said efforts to locate it are continuing.
The circumstances surrounding the attack are still being investigated. Police have not publicly disclosed details about possible eyewitnesses, CCTV footage, the victim’s occupation or the exact nature of his alleged dispute with the accused.
READ: Manipur CM’s Clean Chit to Arambai Tenggol Raises Questions
Assam-Manipur angle
The fact that the victim was from Assam has added sensitivity to the case, particularly given Manipur’s fragile security environment following years of ethnic conflict.
However, there is no indication in the police account so far that the killing was motivated by the victim’s Assamese identity. Investigators have instead cited an alleged dispute involving contraband ganja as the preliminary motive.
The Assam-Manipur connection remains significant because the two states share close commercial and social links, while Assam’s Cachar district borders Manipur’s Jiribam region, an area that itself witnessed serious ethnic violence during the ongoing crisis.
Authorities are likely to face additional pressure to ensure that the murder is investigated quickly and that the facts surrounding the killing are established before speculation about an ethnic motive gains ground.
The two arrested men are likely to be produced before a court as the investigation continues. Police are also searching for the murder weapon and examining other evidence to establish the full sequence of events.
