Imphal, May 01 2009: ONE NON-MANIPURI who has been thought of having been killed by unidentified armed men in the Keibul Lamjao National park near Khordak Awang Leikai yesterday has reportedly had a miraculous escaped from the jaws of death.

He returned to his rented house at Hatta Golapatti today.

Three other non-Manipuris who are believed to have been held by the unidentified armed insurgents are still missing, police said.

In the meanwhile, the five non-locals who were brutally murdered yesterday in Keibul Lamjao National Park had been identified by their families today.

Four of the five persons murdered hailed from Kalaksher of Bulandshahar in UP.

They are Md Iqbal Khan @ Bhola (23), Md Umar @ Guddu (23), Md Hanif (24) and Md Rashid Ali (18).The other victim was from Bhaskhandi in Silchar, Assam identified as Md Abil Ali (13) .

All the five persons were staying at a rent house belonging to Kudush at Hafiz Hatta.

Abil Ali was said to have been born in Manipur while the others had come to Imphal for trade about 15 days back, family sources said.

In the meantime, in an astonishing development, one Md Ershad @Babloo (22) from Bulandshahar of UP, who was thought to be dead, returned to the rent house around 10 am today.

A muddied and frightened Ershad told media persons that he escaped from the murderers yesterday and ran as fast as he could to save his own life from the spot.

The unidentified gunmen fired a number of rounds towards him.

However, he was lucky, no bullet hit him.

He further said that he along with the others had been earning their livelihood by selling bedsheets by going from door to door.

Fourteen of them left Imphal for Moirang yesterday morning.

After reaching Moirang, nine of them stayed back there while the other five went to Kumbi.

As they passed through various places from Moirang, some unknown persons abducted them at gun point and took them to some deserted bushes.

They were interrogated separately.

As soon as he heard the unknown persons hacking the others to death, he left the place where he was held and fled as fast as he could.

Several rounds of gun shots were fired towards him, he said.

Another three persons who were abducted along with Ershad @ Babloo are still missing and their whereabouts are not known.

They are Md Shafiq, elder brother of Md Rashid, who was found killed yesterday, Md Babloo @ Tinkle (23) and Md Mubin (20).All three of them also hail from Bulandshahar from UP.

According to family members, all the five persons who went to Kumbi yesterday have returned to their respective rented houses unharmed.

As Md.Ershad returned this morning the whereabouts of only three persons have been not known yet.

The Bishnupur police source said that a rescue operation for the three untraced persons and a search for the dead bodies was taken out today at Khordak area in Keibul Lamjao National Park area by the security forces including the Bishnupur district police commando.

The operation was led by IG (LO-II) Christopher Doungel.

The operation could only trace one dead body which was left out yesterday, during the operation while three of them remain untraceable till now.

Meanwhile, a press statement released by the PIB (DW) clarified reports appearing in a particular newspaper today that the slain men have no relation with the Army in any way and maintained that the Indian Army remain unharmed.

"Our men are all safe and doing well," it stated.

It further added that it is for the people of Manipur to see the perpetrators of the crime and persons who are genuinely interested in the protection of Human Rights can see for themselves the brutally tortured bodies which are still lying in the morgue at RIMS.

"The villagers of the concerned villages who have abetted the crime should be made accountable.

It is upto the people to take these errant villagers to task.

These devilish and demonic acts should be condemned outright by all the right minded people in the society," the Army statement reads.