The mortal remains of six persons, believed to be the Naga men who went missing on May 13 from Leilon Vaiphei village in Kangpokpi district, were recovered on Wednesday afternoon, June 10, from Karam Vaiphei in Kangpokpi district following an extensive search operation, Manipur Police announced.
In a post on its official social media page, Manipur Police said: “After nearly 24 hours of sustained search operations involving around 450 personnel of the Manipur Police, CRPF, and Assam Rifles, assisted by sniffer dogs and forensic expert teams, the mortal remains of six persons were recovered this afternoon. The deceased are believed to be among those taken hostage from Leilon Vaiphei on 13 May 2026.” The police added that necessary legal formalities were being carried out and that an investigation was underway. The bodies are expected to be taken to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal for post-mortem examination and DNA analysis to establish their identities conclusively. Formal identification by the police is yet to be confirmed.
The development comes a day after 14 Kuki civilians, held hostage for 27 days in Senapati district, were released through the facilitation of the United Naga Council and Naga civil society organisations.
The six men had been among 18 Liangmai Naga civilians detained at Leilon Vaiphei on May 13, the same day three Thadou church leaders were ambushed and killed in Kangpokpi district. Twelve of the 18 were subsequently released, but the six men remained unaccounted for. Their disappearance had drawn mounting public anguish, court intervention, and calls from community leaders, civil society bodies, and the Union government.
The six are believed to be Rev. Dr. Manu Thiumai, pastor of Leimakhong Baptist Church, his brother Dilip Thiumai, who works at the Leimakhong Military Station, Mr. Kenpibou, a pastor from Juna village in Kangpokpi district, Mr. Phenrongwi Thiumai, Mr. Kaliwangbou Abonmai, and Mr. Ch. Phenrilungbou, a deacon at Konsakhul Baptist Church. Rev. Dr. Manu Thiumai and Dilip Thiumai had been returning from their younger brother’s wedding at Konsakhul Naga village when they were detained. Ch. Phenrilungbou and his wife had been travelling home from Kangpokpi with five other women from the village when their vehicle was stopped at Leilon Vaiphei.
The Evangelical Fellowship of India, which had earlier in the day joined others in praying for the safe return of the six missing men, issued a second statement on Wednesday evening. “Earlier today, EFI had joined many others in praying for the safe return of those still missing. That hope has now turned to grief,” said General Secretary Rev. Vijayesh Lal. EFI mourned especially with the congregations of the two pastors believed to be among the deceased. “Every human life bears God-given dignity. The loss of life is a wound not only to the families concerned, but also to the wider community,” the statement said. EFI urged that the circumstances surrounding the deaths be “investigated fully, impartially, and without delay,” and appealed to all communities that “grief must not be allowed to give way to retaliation, hatred, or further violence.”
Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex body of Kuki tribes in the state, also issued a statement expressing deep sorrow over the recovery. “We unequivocally condemn their killings and extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. We pray that they find strength and comfort during this difficult time,” the statement said. KIM appealed to all communities and stakeholders to “exercise restraint, maintain peace, and refrain from speculation or the spread of unverified information that could further inflame tensions,” and strongly urged the concerned authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and allow the law to take its course.
The Manipur High Court had earlier, on June 4, directed the state government to submit an Action Taken Report by June 8 on efforts to trace the six men, following a Public Interest Litigation filed by the Naga Lawyers’ Association. Questions had also surfaced over the investigation’s status, with a May 31 government letter to the UNC stating the case had been transferred to the National Investigation Agency, while the NIA’s own position on taking over the case remained unclear at the time of the High Court hearing.
The deaths of the six men, coming just a day after the relief brought by the Kuki hostage release, have deepened the shadow over Manipur’s already fragile ethnic situation. The state has been scarred by overlapping conflicts since May 2023, with the Meitei-Kuki conflict alone having claimed more than 260 lives and displaced over 70,000 people, according to Manipur Police.
