Militants kidnap two truck drivers in Manipur

Two truck drivers were kidnapped by unidentified militants, suspected to belong to a hill-based group, in Senapati district of Manipur, police sources said today.

The two, identified as Shanta Sinmgh and Laimayum Kullabi, were coming to Imphal from Dimapur in Nagaland with their rice-laden trucks when the vehicles were stopped at Khongem area under Senapati police station on March 25 by some militants and abducted to an unknown place, the sources said.

Militants left behind the helpers - Hemanta Singh and Sanjoy Singh - in the vehicles.

A team of security personnel, patrolling National Highway 39 yesterday, spotted the two trucks parked by the roadside and got to know about the developments from the helpers.

Police later took the vehicles to the Senapati police station.

The whereabouts of the two drivers were not yet known.

The motive behind the crime was not clear but police suspected that non-payment of demand money by owners of the trucks could be the reason.