Haokip is the second accused arrested in the case. The agency had earlier arrested S. Palal Thadou Kuki on August 12, who remains in judicial custody.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, September 29: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a second accused in connection with an IED attack in Manipur’s Bishnupur district that killed two minor children in April this year.
The agency arrested Thangmang Haokip, 48, a resident of Churachandpur district, on September 25, alleging that he was part of the conspiracy behind the April 7 attack at Tronglaobi Awang Leikai in Moirang.
Haokip is the second person arrested in the case. The NIA had arrested S. Palal Thadou Kuki on August 12, and he is currently in judicial custody.
According to the NIA, unidentified militants launched an explosive device from a hillside overlooking the residential locality. The device struck the wall of a house, seriously injuring three members of a family. Two of them, both minor children, later died of their injuries. Another person was also injured.
Investigators subsequently recovered an unexploded improvised rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) near the site, according to the agency.
The case was initially registered at Moirang Police Station before the NIA took over the investigation and re-registered it on April 23 as RC-04/2026/NIA/IMP. The probe is being conducted under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Explosive Substances Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
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The NIA said Haokip’s alleged involvement in the conspiracy emerged during the course of its investigation. It has not, however, publicly disclosed the specific role allegedly played by him or the motive behind the attack.
Following his arrest, Haokip was produced before the Special NIA Court-II in Imphal, which remanded him to 12 days of police custody for further interrogation.
The agency said its investigation is continuing and that efforts are under way to identify and arrest other persons allegedly involved in the conspiracy and to establish the wider network behind the attack.
The April 7 blast was among a series of violent incidents that have kept security agencies on alert in parts of Manipur. The NIA’s latest arrest indicates that investigators are continuing to pursue the alleged perpetrators and their wider network months after the attack.
The allegations against the arrested accused remain subject to judicial proceedings.
