Three individuals who went missing while collecting firewood in a forest were found dead in Manipur's Churachandpur district on Thursday, as reported by the police to news agency PTI.
On Wednesday afternoon, four people from Akasoi in Bishnupur district went missing while collecting firewood in the nearby hills of Churachandpur. The bodies of Ibomcha Singh, aged 51, his son Anand Singh, aged 20, and 38-year-old Romen Singh were found near Haotak Phailen, according to the police.
Authorities stated that a search is underway for the fourth missing person, identified as Dara Singh. The police officer suggested that the three individuals were suspected to have been killed by militants.
Earlier in the day, the security forces seized a Huge cache of arms and explosives from Manipur's Churachandpur and Tengnoupal districts. A country-made 9 mm pistol, five single barrel guns, eight HE-36 hand grenades, six tear gas shells and several ammunitions for 9 mm pistol and M1 Carbine on January 9, police said. Search operations were continuing in vulnerable areas of Imphal West, Kakching, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Imphal East and Churachandpur districts for arms and ammunition, police said.