Imphal, December 08 2008: AT LEAST five youths suspected to be activists of PREPAK were killed while two others with bullet injuries reportedly escaped in an alleged encounter with the Thoubal district police commandos tonight at Langathel Laingamching in Thoubal district, a police source said.

Till late evening, the police commandos were carrying out further search operations in the Langathel and surrounding areas to hunt for the escaped activists who police believed included one of the outfit's hardcore leaders.

In the alleged encounter, a lathod gun with 10 lethod bombs and two AK assault rifles with large quantity of live ammunitions were said to be recovered by the police commandos.

Reports said that the clash occurred when two teams of the Thoubal district police commandos while keeping vigil at Langathel village located next to Khongjom on the movements of underground insurgents, by chance came across a group of well armed insurgents around 8.40 pm.

The police commandos, acting on a specific tip-off that some armed insurgents were moving about in the area, laid in wait for the insurgents.

When the group of insurgents, who came in a Tata tipper in a suspicious manner, the police asked them to stop for checking and frisking.

But the insurgents started shooting towards the police commandos.

The commandos retaliated resulting in the killing of five of them.

At least two of them in the vehicle made good their escape from the spot taking advantage of the darkness of the night.

Police conducted further search operation in the surrounding areas.

But there were no reports of finding the escaped insurgents.