A member of the Naga Village Guard (NVG) was killed and five others, including two personnel of the CoBRA battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), were reported injured during an armed confrontation in Noney district today.
The deceased was identified as Lanbimei Riamei (22), son of Kadirang Riamei of Longmai Bazar, Noney. He reportedly sustained bullet injuries during the encounter and later succumbed.
According to police sources, the injured security personnel have been identified as Head Constable Radheshyam and Constable (GD) Jitendra Kumar of the CoBRA unit. Both sustained minor injuries during the exchange of fire. Three NVG members also reported serious gunshot wounds, though their identities had not been officially confirmed at the time of filing this report. The injured are expected to be shifted to Imphal for specialised treatment.
Official sources said the incident occurred after a CoBRA team launched an early morning operation at Bitiang village under the Tupul subdivision, where an NVG training camp was reportedly operating. The operation triggered a fierce exchange of fire between the security forces and NVG members, leaving one dead and five injured.
Following the incident, heavy security deployment remained in and around Bitiang village as search operations continued. Local sources also reported severe disruption of communication networks in the Bitiang-Tupul area, causing inconvenience to residents.
