Missing since March 16; no trace yet
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 19 2025: 20-year-old Luwangthem Mukesh remains missing despite massive search operations to trace his whereabouts at Joujangtek and K Sonjang village today.

A resident of Keishampat Leimajam Leikai, Mukesh went missing on March 16 .

Sources said his mobile phone was traced at Joujangtek village area.

Notably, Joujangtek is the Kuki village where two Meitei teen students, Phijam Hemanjit and Linthoingambi Hijam went missing on July 6, 2023 .

Even as the two teens remain missing till today, it is suspected that they were killed in Kuki militants' custody on July 8, 2023, according to a time stamp on one of the photographs that surfaced on social media months after they went missing.

Photographs of the two teenagers alive in captivity of armed Kuki men and their bodies lying in a grassy ground surfaced on September 25, 2023 .

In the two teens' case, a search operation was also conducted at Joujangtek village and later the probe was handed over to the NIA .

Luwangthem Mukesh is son of Gyanendra Das of Keishampat Leimajam Leikai.

He left his home on March 16 at around 2 pm in a four wheeler vehicle.

After the youth didn't return home, a missing complaint was filed with the Imphal police station on March 17 .

To trace the whereabouts of Mukesh, police scanned-through CCTV footage for possible leads.

Through the CCTV footage, police traced his car passing through Nambol and travelling towards Bishnupur at around 3.15 pm of March 16 .

The vehicle was further captured by CCTV cameras in Bishnupur area at around 3.40 pm.

Further, Mukesh's mobile phone location was traced at Joujangtek village.

It is highly suspected that Mukesh went missing in the Kuki dominated area, said sources.

Following the trace, massive search operations were conducted today at Joujangtek and K Sonjang village by a combined team of Assam Rifles, Manipur Police and CRPF .

Despite the massive search, the whereabouts of Mukesh has not been traced, said sources.

Meanwhile, a Joint Action Committee (JAC) has been formed regarding the case, and it has submitted a memorandum to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, DGP and Security Advisor yesterday.

The JAC has urged the Governor to send additional security forces in the Kuki villages of Joujangtek and Sonjang to trace Mukesh.

The JAC has appealed for safe release and rescue of the missing youth.

Locals, meanwhile, staged a sit-in protest at Keishampat Leimajam Leikai, appealing to the Governor to secure Mukesh's safe release.

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