2 min readImphalNov 1, 2026 03:02 PM ISTThe police have not publicly identified the perpetrators in the statement confirming the incident. (Source: ANI)Security forces Sunday recovered the bodies of two missing Kuki-Zo youths in the Senapati district of Manipur, a day after three men from the ethnic community were killed in an exchange of fire with armed miscreants in the Noney district.The dead were identified as Paoginlal Hangsing, 20, and Tinginlun Chongloi, 20, who went missing from the Taphou Kuki village on October 28. Their bodies were taken to Kangpokpi, where tensions remained high following confirmation of their deaths.Following their disappearance, the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), Sadar Hills, had called a 48-hour total shutdown in Kangpokpi district, demanding their immediate and safe release. The shutdown remained in force on Sunday.According to the Manipur Police control room, multiple search operations were launched following the disappearance of the two youths. Initial searches involved joint teams of Manipur Police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Assam Rifles.On Sunday, a joint team comprising Manipur Police, the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), CRPF, Assam Rifles and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) conducted an extensive search operation in the general area east of National Highway-2 along the Senapati Phaibung Road.The police said they completed the necessary legal formalities and other procedures. They said extensive search and combing operations would continue to identify and apprehend those responsible for the killings.Security forces have also taken precautionary measures to prevent any untoward incidents amid the tense situation in the district. The circumstances surrounding the deaths and the identities of those responsible remain under investigation.