Imphal: Manipur Police have arrested three people in connection with Monday's ambush at Khongbal, in which suspected militants opened fire on a group of villagers collecting firewood, killing three Meitei men and injuring several others, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo told reporters, according to EastMojo and India Today NE reports.

Police said preliminary investigation indicated that two of the arrested men admitted to being part of the group involved in the attack — a claim made by police that is still being investigated — while officers are examining the third person's role and working to identify other suspected participants.

Acting on leads from the suspects, joint teams of Manipur Police, the CRPF and CoBRA raided the S. Phailenkot area and recovered a large cache: 12 firearms, nearly 1,100 rounds of ammunition and explosives including improvised explosive devices (IEDs), officials said. Northeast Live also reported the recovery of the arms cache in its coverage of the arrests.

In a separate check, security forces detained 17 people near the Sinai Camp — a Suspension of Operations facility — after their identities did not match the registered cadre records of the Kuki National Organisation and Kuki National Front, and are probing missing magazines and ammunition, according to reports citing officials.

The arrests came as a 48-hour statewide shutdown called by the Native People's Committee Manipur (NPCM) over the killings crippled normal life across the state, with markets, schools and offices closed. Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh condemned the killings and directed officials to strengthen security in vulnerable areas, while ADGP Lhatoo appealed to residents to remain calm and not circulate unverified information.

Sources: EastMojo; India Today NE; LatestLY (summarising police statements); Northeast Live.