Imphal, January 27 2010: On the last day of deadline set by the villagers, police on Wednesday rounded up at least three persons including sibling brothers for verification in the murder of a widow and her teenage daughter whose dead bodies were recovered on January 23 last.

Angom Chanbi, a 36 year-old widow and her daughter Ibemcha (13), who were missing since January 12 night after they were called out by some miscreants, were found murdered in a paddy field on January 23 (Saturday) with telltale signs of gang rape before murder.

Irate villagers of Phayeng in Imphal west where the mother and daughter hailed from and its vicinity had set three days' deadline on Sunday to arrest the culprits involved in the brutal murder of the widow and her teenaged daughter.

Police during its course of investigation rounded up three persons for interrogation in connection with the case.

They were picked up only as part of investigation into the case, a highly reliable source said, adding that they were picked as part of investigation into murder case and not as suspects in the case.

Mention may be made that villagers of Phayeng areas had urged the Chief Minister to arrest the culprits behind the murder of the mother and daughter by today (January 27) in a memorandum submitted on Sunday last.

The last rites of the mother and daughter were performed the next day, on Monday after Chief Minister, O Ibobi assured them of taking up appropriate actions to find the culprits and to start the process for adopting the three children left behind by the widow.

Lamshang police station registered an FIR into the murder incident in connection with the heinous crime.