HT DIGITAL
JIRIBAM, AUGUST 1: National Investigation Agency (NIA) has nabbed Thanglienlal Hmar, alias Boya, a key suspect in the heinous killings that occurred in Manipur’s Jiribam district during November 2024. Hmar, who hails from Moinathol Dilkshosh Ghaat in Assam’s Cachar district, was taken into custody on Thursday in an interagency operation by the NIA and Assam Police. A mobile phone along with a SIM card were also seized from him at the time of arrest.
The inhumane act was committed on November 11, 2024, when militants kidnapped and killed six civilians—three women and three children—of the Borobekra region in Jiribam. Their bodies were then found discarded on the Barak River, which evoked people’s wrath and shock throughout the area.
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As per investigators, Boya was at the core of both planning and carrying out the crime. The NIA found that he had used his boat to ferry the victims as well as three armed attackers—dressed in camouflage fatigues—from Jakuradhar Ghat to Kaisalpunjee village Ghat, a vital portion in the fatal operation.
The case, numbered RC-15/2024/NIA/IMP, was taken over by the NIA from the Borobekra police and is under active investigation.
At the same time, the issue has also attracted judicial notice. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL No. 18 of 2024), subsequently consolidated with Miscellaneous Case (PIL) No. 28 of 2025, was moved in the Manipur High Court by a few petitioners, among them Soram Tikendrajit. The petition prays for court-monitored supervision of the investigation because of the case’s sensitive and high-profile nature.
As per the directions of the court, the NIA has filed two sealed reports giving details of progress made in the probe. These have been directed to be kept safe by the Registrar General of the High Court until further orders.
