2 held, vehicle seized in connection with attack on Assam Rifles Convoy in Manipur that killed two soldiers

Security forces detained two individuals from Manipur on Saturday in connection with the deadly ambush on an Assam Rifles convoy that left two soldiers dead and five others injured. A van suspected to be used during the incident was also seized from Mutum Yangbi, located nearly 12 kilometres from the ambush site on the outskirts of Imphal, according to a report in NDTV.

Police stated that the recovered vehicle has multiple owners, but all of them have been traced and identified. "During the last 24 hours, the overall law-and-order situation in the state was tense but under control. In the follow-up to the incident at Nambol Sabal Leikai in which two personnel of the Assam Rifles were martyred, security forces carried out a massive operation in Shantipur and Ishok areas," the statement read.

Officials confirmed that the attack took place on Friday evening when he paramilitary forces' 407 Tata vehicle carrying troops were targeted by suspected militants. The convoy was moving from the Patsoi company operating base to Nambol base at 5.50 pm when it came under heavy fire.

High-level meeting to heighten security in Manipur

During the incident, two soldiers of the Assam Rifles, identified as Naib Subedar Shyam Gurung and Rifleman Ranjit Singh Kashyap, were martyred. The incident occurred along the same road that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had travelled during his recent Manipur visit.

"In the general area, Nambol Sabal Leikai, the column was ambushed by unidentified terrorists on the Highway in the denotified area of Manipur. In the ensuing action, two personnel of the Assam Rifles were martyred and five were injured," an official statement read.

Following the incident, the injured soldiers were rushed to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal for treatment. In response, a high-level meeting was held a day after the incident, chaired by Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, to heighten security arrangements in vulnerable and sensitive areas of Manipur.

"The discussion stressed the need for coordinated action among all security agencies to ensure swift identification of the perpetrators. It was also resolved that security arrangements must be further strengthened in vulnerable and sensitive areas, including highways, transit routes, and border zones," the Raj Bhavan confirmed.