Over 40 Drone Bombs Dropped By Kuki Terrorists In September 2024 Manipur Attack: NIA Tells Court
The kingpin who bought these drone bombs has been identified as Khaigoulen Kipgen from Gamngai village. Delhi-based Raj Kumar and Rohtak-based Vikram Chaudhary have been named as the suppliers of drones by NIA.
More than 40 drone bombs were dropped by Kuki terrorists in the September 2024 attack in Manipur, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has told court. These bombs were dropped in Koutruk and Kadangband villages in Imphal. The kingpin who bought these drone bombs has been identified as Khaigoulen Kipgen from Gamngai village.
Delhi-based Raj Kumar and Rohtak-based Vikram Chaudhary have been named as the suppliers of drones by NIA. The NIA said Kipgen bought drones and batteries from Raj Kumar and Vikram Chaudhary by paying money in cash and online.
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According to the FIR filed by the NIA, which is based on the information received by the local police on September 1, 2024, some unknown Kuki militants attacked Koutruk village at about 2.06 pm using sophisticated weapons and dropping grenade bombs from flying drones and the incident led to the death of one woman, aged about 31 years and her 9-year-old daughter sustained severe injuries. A case was registered against the unknown Kuki militants for investigation.
Top intelligence sources have said that this was an unprecedented and major escalation in the ethnic clashes between the Kukis and Meiteis in Manipur. There is involvement of “highly trained professionals" possibly with technical expertise and support from a foreign agency, sources said.
These drones can operate from distances ranging between 500 metre and 15 kilometre. They can be loaded with explosives, including hand grenades and mortar bombs, and have a rotor system, allowing them to also capture images, sources said.
More importantly, this was an unusual attack because attackers used an ambulance, sources said. The Kukis gained grounds with one sided attacks and they reinforced themselves with more weapons and finally they used drones, sources added.
Due to possible drug and foreign funding, the weapons are in huge numbers with sophisticated technology. “The claim of foreign hand in the use of weaponised drones may be true but the seizure of 10 high end batteries for use in drones in Guwahati in June 2024 was an important action by Assam police that proved that drones are going to the Northeast in a big way," sources said.
The rise of Kuki militants has been because of arbitrary arrests of Meities, due to which the confidence of Kukis went up, sources said.
The September 2024 Attack
CNN-News18 had earlier reported how an ambulance was used to attack a Meitei village. On September 1, Kuki militants used an ambulance as a cover to infiltrate a Meitei village in Manipur under the guise of essential emergency services.
CNN-News18 came across a video purportedly released by the Kuki attackers. The celebratory video shot inside the ambulance calls the militants involved “the heroes of today’s attack".
The ambulance used by the Kuki militants was reportedly traced back to the Leimakhong area. According to the number plate (MN01BA 0300), it was a Force Motors vehicle. It is registered in the name of KSO General Headquarters, which is a charitable organisation. The vehicle was purchased in February 2022.
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