CBI team reaches Imphal to probe killing of 2 Manipur students

A CBI team led by Special Director Ajay Bhatnagar reached Imphal Wednesday afternoon to investigate the 'kidnapping and killing' of two students days after they went missing, sources said.

Photos of the bodies of the two students -- Phijam Hemjit (20) and Hijam Linthoingambi (17) -- who were missing since July 6, were shared widely on social media on Monday, sparking fresh rounds of protests in the state.

The focus of the agency will be identifying the scene of crime, retrieve the bodies besides and nail the perpetrators, the sources said.

The team will meet senior police and government officials and go through local intelligence about the tragic incident, they said.

The state government in consultation with the home ministry referred the matter to the CBI which immediately dispatched a team of officials led by agency's second in command Bhatanagar to probe the crime.

Another senior officer, Joint Director Ghanshyam Upadhyay, who is camping in Imphal, also joined the team on arrival, the sources said.

The team comprises officers who have expertise in special crime, crime scene recreation, interrogation and technical surveillance. It will also have experts from the CBI's elite Central Forensic Science Laboratory, the sources said.  One of the two photos purportedly showed the students with two armed men and the other was of two bodies.

Police had previously said the whereabouts of the two were not known and their mobile phones were found switched off.

The last location of their mobile phones was traced to Lamdan, near the winter flower tourist spot in Churachandpur district, police had said.

In a post on X, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh had said on Tuesday: 'In light of the distressing news that emerged yesterday regarding the tragic demise of the missing students, I want to assure the people of the state that both the state and central government are closely working together to nab the perpetrators.' He said the presence of the CBI officers in the state 'underscores the commitment of our authorities to swiftly resolve this matter'.

'I have been constantly in touch with Hon'ble Union Home Minister Shri @AmitShah ji to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice,' Singh said.

Security personnel have been put on alert and additional measures taken to prevent any incident following the photos of the deceased students going viral, a senior officer said.

The government has assured people that 'swift and decisive action will be taken against all those involved in the kidnapping and killing of Phijam Hemjit and Hijam Linthoingambi'.