Imphal: A key member of the United Kuki National Army (UKNA) wanted in connection with the abduction and murder of two Meitei students in 2023 was apprehended by the Assam Rifles in Manipur’s Churachandpur district on May 22, a senior government official said.
The arrest concerns the deaths of Linthoingambi Hijam and Phijam Hemanjit, who went missing on June 6, 2023. Their subsequent killing became one of the most traumatic incidents of the Manipur unrest. Images of their bodies circulated on social media in September 2023 and sparked large student-led protests.
The detained suspect, identified as Nokjaging Baite Kuki, alias Tiger (38), was nabbed from Ngathal village and handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the case. A CBI court in Guwahati issued a non-bailable warrant against him on June 26, 2024, and later declared him a proclaimed offender. While the agency arrested four KukiZo individuals on October 1, 2023, it accused Nokjaging Baite Kuki of criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence, harbouring offenders and abduction.
The official said the accused had evaded arrest for about three years and is wanted in several major crimes across the violence-hit state. “An AK rifle, pistols and grenades were found in his possession. Two others were also caught with him. He had earlier given a slip to security forces on several occasions,” the official said. Two other UKNA cadres arrested with him were identified as Thongpi Guite (33) and Shokhomang Baite (40).
Officials said the suspect operated alongside self-styled Lt Jamkhogin Guite, alias Pepsi, who Assam Rifles detained on October 1, 2025.
