On Saturday, the Police announced the arrest of another suspect in the Manipur women assault case, this time a juvenile, bringing the total number of arrests to six.
The apprehension of the sixth accused occurred in Thoubal district during Saturday afternoon.
Earlier, a local court in Thoubal had granted police custody of four accused individuals for 11 days to aid in the investigation of the heinous crime, which had sent shockwaves across the nation.
Acting upon the request of the investigation officer, the judicial magistrate first class in Thoubal sanctioned the police custody of the four individuals until July 31. The accused were presented before the court via video conferencing.
Meanwhile, public outrage intensified as an angry mob set fire to the residence of an absconding suspect, L. Kabichandra, aged 20, in the Wangjing area of Thoubal. Kabichandra had gone into hiding after being seen in a viral video of the shocking incident that took place on July 19.
Further, enraged women also burned down the house of the main accused, Huirem Herodas Singh (Meitei), in Yairipok village, Thoubal district, late on Thursday evening.
In response to the unfolding situation, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who also oversees the home portfolio, assured the media that senior police officials are conducting the interrogation of the arrested suspects. However, he refrained from disclosing any details at this stage.
Singh asserted his personal involvement in supervising the police search operation to apprehend the remaining accused involved in the crime. The Manipur Police, through its official Twitter account, reaffirmed their unwavering efforts to arrest the culprits as swiftly as possible, with raids ongoing.
To intensify the search, the Manipur Police and other security forces are continuing the operation in Kangpokpi, Thoubal, and surrounding districts.
Several police teams, led by senior officers, have been deployed to oversee the extensive search and locate the offenders responsible for the shocking incident.
