Missing IDP minor girl found dead in Manipur

The search for a missing seven-year-old internally displaced girl ended in tragedy when her body was discovered on the banks of a river in Imphal East district on Monday morning.
The victim, identified as Oinam Chanuthoi, daughter of O Basanta from Moreh in Tengnoupal district, had been sheltering at Akampat Relief Camp in Singjamei along with her family. She went missing from the camp premises around 7:30 pm on Saturday, prompting her family to lodge a complaint at Irilbung police station.
Following an intensive investigation, police arrested Laishram Lanngamba Singh, 28, also from Moreh and reportedly a relative of the victim residing in the same camp. Authorities registered a case of kidnapping and murder against him.
Police sources revealed that CCTV footage from the vicinity of the relief camp showed the suspect in the company of the child. During interrogation, Singh allegedly confessed to taking the girl. Based on his disclosure, police recovered the body early Monday morning from a secluded riverbank under an old bridge near the camp.
A forensic team examined the site before the body was transferred to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) morgue for post-mortem to determine the exact cause of death. Investigations are ongoing to establish the motive behind the crime.
The incident sparked outrage among internally displaced persons (IDPs) and local residents, who stormed Irilbung police station demanding the suspect be handed over to them. Police resorted to firing tear gas shells and mock bombs to disperse the crowd. No injuries were reported, and authorities later confirmed the situation was under control.
In the afternoon, the accused was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court in Imphal East, which remanded him to five days of judicial custody for further investigation.
The tragic case has shaken the displaced community, already reeling from the ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur on May 3, 2023, forcing hundreds of Meitei residents from Moreh to seek shelter in relief camps.