In a combined operation made by 31st Assam Rifles troops and the Manipur police on Friday, a self-proclaimed commander-in-chief of the militant group Socialist Democratic Front of Kukiland (SDRF) was reportedly shot dead in Churachandpur district. The militant leader identified as Letminthang Haokip was gunned down during a shootout with the security forces at Khominthang village around 2 am.
“A special operation was launched by a combined team of the 31st Assam Rifles and Churachandpur Police in the morning of September 10 to nab the militants. At approximately around 2 am, as the security team surrounded a specific house, the team was fired at from inside the house. The security teams also retaliated with maximum care to avoid collateral damage. As soon as the firing stopped, the security teams entered the house and found one person identified as Letminthang Haokip lying dead from bullet injury,” said a statement issued by the police.
According to police, Haokip and his group were allegedly involved in criminal activities like intimidation and extortion, among others, in and around Churachandpur town, especially in the Tuibong Bazar area in the past month.
During the operation led by the combined forces, three pistols were also recovered along with 282 rounds of 9mm ammunition from the encounter site.
However, it is learnt that the SDRF is not a signatory of the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement signed between the two umbrella groups of Kuki militants and the government.
Meanwhile, a case has been registered at the Churachandpur police station.
