Imphal: Fresh tension escalated in Manipur's Imphal valley on Thursday after police recovered the body of a 38-year-old man, a day after he and his wife were kidnapped by suspected United Kuki National Army (UKNA) militants in Manipur's Churachandpur district, officials said. 

The victim has been identified as Mayanglambam Rishikanta Singh, who belonged to the Meitei community.

He was married to Chingnu Haokip, a member of the Kuki tribal community.

After the marriage, Singh had adopted a tribal name, Ginminthang, police said.

Police suspect UKNA militants behind abduction and killing

According to a police official, the couple was abducted on Wednesday by suspected UKNA militants and taken towards Natjang village under Henglep police station in Churachandpur district.

Extremists allegedly killed Singh during captivity, while his wife was later released.

Viral video shows victim pleading before being shot

A senior police official said that a video clip of the brutal crime has gone viral on social media, showing the victim pleading for his life with folded hands before being shot at close range by the armed assailants.

Quoting family members, the police official said that Singh was working in Nepal and had recently returned on leave.

Before Singh's visit, his wife had reportedly sought "permission" from Kuki organisations to allow her husband to stay with her for a few days in Churachandpur district, the official added.

Singh's body has been kept at the Churachandpur district morgue, and police have registered an FIR and launched an investigation into the incident.

Joint security forces have also initiated a massive search operation to nab those involved in the killing. Since ethnic violence broke out between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in May 2023, people from the two communities have largely avoided entering each other's areas, sharply dividing the state along ethnic lines.

Meanwhile, the Army, along with the Assam Rifles and other security forces, has been conducting a large-scale joint counter-insurgency operation in Manipur's hill districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi since last week.

An official said intelligence inputs suggest that militants of the United Kuki National Army (UKNA), armed with heavy weapons, are moving in the hilly areas of the two districts.

The UKNA has not signed any Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the government, although several other Kuki outfits entered into SoO agreements with the Centre in 2008.

Police sources said that the UKNA has around 450 cadres and possesses more than 300 sophisticated weapons, making it larger than any individual armed group currently under the SoO framework.

The outfit has reportedly set up camps both within Manipur and across the international border in Myanmar.

(IANS)