An eight-year-old girl, who had been missing since Sunday, was discovered deceased beneath the Singjamei bridge along the Imphal River on Monday, as confirmed by the police. The girl, an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) from the Akampat Relief Camp in Imphal East district, was reported missing on Sunday evening and found dead the next day under the bridge.
A suspect, identified as Laishram Langamba (28), has been arrested in connection with the incident and has been remanded in police custody for five days by the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Imphal East district. The minor, originally from Moreh in Tengnoupal district, had sought refuge at the Akampat relief camp due to ethnic violence in the state since May 2023.
The victim’s family alerted the police at Irilbung Police Station about the disappearance, prompting an immediate search operation involving IDPs and local residents. Police teams from Imphal East and Imphal West districts, under senior officers’ supervision, conducted a coordinated search, aided by CCTV footage analysis that led to the suspect’s identification.
The accused, Laishram Langamba, confessed during interrogation to abducting, raping, and murdering the child, and discarding the body under the bridge. This revelation led to the recovery of the girl’s body. The incident caused tension in Imphal, with IDPs protesting outside the police station, demanding justice for the victim and swift action against the accused.
