Hmar allegedly ferried three armed militants and six victims, including three children, to their deaths. The arrest follows Manipur High Court’s scathing rebuke of NIA’s delay in filing a chargesheet
BY PC Bureau
July 31, 2025: — In a significant breakthrough, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), in coordination with Cachar Police, arrested Thanglienlal Hmar, alias Boya, on Wednesday in connection with the horrific killing of six Meitei civilians — including a 10-month-old infant — in Jiribam district, Manipur, in November 2024.
The 32-year-old resident of Moinathol village in Cachar district, Assam, is alleged to have played a key role in the abduction and execution of three women and three children — an act that intensified ethnic tensions across the conflict-ridden state.
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Acting on precise intelligence inputs, NIA officials and Cachar Police launched a coordinated operation and apprehended Hmar, long considered a prime suspect in the Jiribam massacre.
Hmar allegedly used his boat to transport the victims —
- Yumrembam Rani Devi (60)
- Telem Thoibi Devi (31) and her daughter Thajamanbi Devi (8)
- Laishram Heithoibi Devi (25) and her children Chingkheinganba Singh (2.5 years) and Lamnganba (10 months)
— along with three armed men in camouflage from Jakuradhar Ghat to Kaisalpunjee village Ghat.
The victims, abducted from a Borobekra relief camp on November 11, 2024, were later found shot dead and dumped in the Barak River on November 15, 2024.
‼️This is Thanglienlal Hmar , the mastermind of the Jiribam massacre‼️
The murderer of woman , child and babies !!!
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested this terrorist Thanglienlal Hmar alias Boya from Cachar, Assam, in connection with the horrific killings of… pic.twitter.com/NFRkdI0ppI
— TheBlueHills (@TheBlueHills49) July 31, 2025
This arrest is seen as aa critical step toward unfolding the crime a s Hmar’s role was central to the planning and execution of the crime. His interrogation is expected to lead NIA to other conspirators.
Court Pressure and Delayed Investigation
The arrest comes just two days after the Manipur High Court, led by Chief Justice K. Somashekar and Justice Ahanthem Bimol Singh, reprimanded the NIA for delays and ordered it to file a chargesheet by August 29, 2025.
The directive was in response to a PIL filed by Soram Tekendrajit and Uripok Apunba Lup, highlighting the lack of progress in the case. The FIR was filed on November 11, 2024, and transferred to the NIA on November 13 under orders from the Ministry of Home Affairs, yet no chargesheet had been submitted for nearly nine months.
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The NIA is also investigating a larger conspiracy behind the killings, possibly linked to the murder of a Hmar woman in Zairawn village on November 7, 2024 — believed to be a triggering event.
The Jiribam massacre stands out as one of the most shocking episodes in Manipur’s ethnic violence since May 2023, which has resulted in over 260 deaths and displaced more than 60,000 people. The coordinated assault allegedly carried out by Kuki-Hmar militants also included arson and additional civilian casualties.
With Hmar in custody, the NIA has accelerated its investigation, including forensic analysis and expanded interrogations. As Manipur continues to reel from the trauma, Hmar’s arrest has brought a renewed sense of hope for justice in a case that has left a deep scar on the state’s collective conscience.
