The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has made a second arrest in connection with the brutal kidnapping and killing of three Meitei women and three children in Manipur’s Jiribam district in November 2024.

The latest accused, identified as Lalrosang Hmar alias Rosang, was arrested on Thursday from Aizawl, Mizoram. According to the NIA, he is a resident of Assam’s Cachar district, which borders Jiribam. A mobile phone and a SIM card were recovered from his possession and are being examined as part of the investigation.

This follows the arrest of Thanglienlal Hmar, the first accused in the case, who was picked up from Aizawl a day earlier by a joint NIA-Assam Police team. The NIA has stated that Lalrosang was an active conspirator in the crime.

The high-profile arrest comes just days after the Manipur High Court ordered the NIA to file a chargesheet within a month, and three weeks after it directed the central agency to submit a detailed progress report on the investigation.

The victims, all from the Meitei community, were kidnapped from Jiribam and later found murdered and dumped in a river. The victims were identified as Yumrembam Rani Devi (60), Telem Thoibi Devi (31) and her daughter Telem Thajamanbi Devi (8), Laishram Heithoibi Devi (25) and her two sons, Laishram Chingkheinganba Singh (2.5 years) and Laishram Lamnganba Singh (10 months)

The chilling incident had sparked widespread outrage, with growing demands for justice and speedy prosecution. The case is being treated as a matter of national concern due to its brutality and communal sensitivity.