Tale of two missing teenagers : Parents battle nightmares
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 27 2023: Twenty-two days have gone, but Linthoingambi and Hemanjit have not returned home.

Their whereabouts and status remain unknown.

The unending wait for their dear children is slowly turning all their hopes into nightmares.

At Sagolband, Hijam Jayalakshmi's teary eyes are fixed at a photograph of her daughter and a few kilometres away at Takyel, Phijam Memcha's eyes are fixed at the gate longing for her son's return.

Hijam Linthoingambi and Phijam Hemanjit are two 17-year-old teens who went missing on July 6 amid the heightened tension between the Meiteis and the Kukis in Manipur.

Hijam Linthoingambi alias Luwangbi is daughter of Hijam Kullajit and Hijam ongbi Jayalakshmi of Sagolband Tera Tongbram Leikai.

Tale of two missing teenagers Parents battle nightmares

Beside her parents, Linthoingambi has an elder brother and a younger sister waiting for her at home.

Linthoingambi had recently cleared Class XII examinations from Tamphasana Girls' Higher Secondary School, Imphal.

Phijam Hemanjit is the youngest of three sons of Phijam Ibungobi and Phijam ongbi Memcha of Takyel Kolom Leikai.

Little did they know that they would lose her that day, on July 6 morning, as Linthoingambi's father dropped her at Keishamthong Mutum Leikai where she attends a tuition class.

Linthoingambi didn't return home ! The family became worried and suspected she must have eloped with one of her friends.

Hijam Kullajit, Linthoingambi's father, said the whole family thought she had eloped with Hemanjit as teens do and they waited for the next day.

As she didn't return home the next day and no news of her came, they began searching for her.

Linthoingambi's parents and Hemanjit's parents began searching for their children together.

While tracing the teens, they came across CCTV footage that showed Linthoingambi and Phijam Hemanjit riding a two-wheeler vehicle at Keishampat.

They reviewed many CCTV footage and saw the "last visual" of their children at Bishnupur's Nambol.

The two families searched for them at Kwakta and Phougakchao Ikhai, two areas where attacks by Kuki militants have not ended till today.

Yesterday, Longjam Naocha, a 16-year-old was hurt critically when a bomb fired by Kuki militants exploded inside a house.

As the two families frantically continued their search, through the police, they came to know that the teens' mobile phones were last traced at Kwakta after which the devices went switched off and SIM cards changed.

Six days later on July 12, Linthoingambi's mother, Jayalakshmi received a phone call from an unknown number, which she missed.

When she called back the number, the person on the other end cut the line saying it was Assam and he had earlier dialled a wrong number.

Later, it was known that the person had called Linthoingambi's mother, Jayalakshmi from Lamdan in Churachandpur district using Phijam Hemanjit's handset after changing the SIM card.

Several sources citing police reports claimed that Phijam Hemanjit's handset was suspected to be in use by a person identified as Lhingmichong, care of Janglen of Ingourok Lamdan, Churachandpur district at the time.

Days later Jayalakshmi talked to the person, who must have been potentially involved in the abduction of her daughter, they heard rumours about "Kuki militants and their supporters catching a girl and a boy at Lukhrabi Yumpham near Lamdan" .

After this, they haven't heard any news of their whereabouts.

Jayalakshmi said she wants to see her daughter again.

"I want my daughter to come back safe and unhurt.

Please let us know if our daughter is alright.

Please, if anybody has them, please return them.

Return my daughter," pleaded Jayalakshmi.

As she clings on to the little hope that her daughter may return, deep down all her hopes are slowly turning into nightmares.

The things that she never wants to imagine is haunting her.

She is afraid that the Kukis may have "butchered" her gem mercilessly and buried her in some nameless place.

Linthoingambi's father, Hijam Kullajit said they filed a missing report with the police on July 7 and an FIR was registered on July 8 .

When Linthoingambi didn't return home on July 6 after tuition, Kullajit said they thought she had eloped with Hemanjit.

Along with the local MLA Sapam Kunjakishore, they (parents of both teens) submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister appealing to him to trace the whereabouts of the two children and for their safe return .

They also met Governor Anusuiya Uikey and requested her to help trace them.

Even though, both the Governor and the Chief Minister had assured them, the Government and the authorities concerned have not yet traced them and found them, Kullajit said, pleading with the Kukis to safely return her daughter and her friend.

Kullajit said he has also approached the National Commission for Women's Chairperson Rekha Sharma and Delhi Commission for Women Swati Maliwal at Imphal.

"We have searched and we will continue to search everywhere until our children are found," said Kullajit.