GUWAHATI: An Army soldier in Manipur was found dead on Sunday, a day after he was abducted by some unidentified armed men.
The body of Sepoy Serto Thangthang Kom, which bore bullet wounds, was recovered from the Khuningthek village in the Imphal East district. He was a “Kom”, a smaller tribal community that was unaffected by the ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kukis.
Sepoy Serto, who was on leave and would have joined duty on Monday, was serving in the Army’s Defence Security Corps (DSC) at Leimakhong in the hill district of Kangpokpi in the state. He had joined the DSC after opting for VRS from the Army’s Assam Regiment.
According to his 10-year-old son who was the sole eyewitness, three unidentified armed persons entered their house at Neikailong in the Imphal West district at around 10 am on Saturday when the two of them were working on the porch. The child said the person placed a pistol on his father’s head and forced the latter into a car before driving away with him.
There was no news of the soldier until the body was found at around 9:30 AM on Sunday. It was identified by his brother and brother-in-law. The body bore a single bullet wound on the head. The post-mortem report is awaited, officials said.
The Army condemned the killing and rushed a team to assist the bereaved family in all manners possible.
“The brave soldier who breathed his last at the hand of miscreants is survived by his wife, daughter and son. The last rites shall be conducted as per the wishes of the family,” a defence statement said.
It added that the Army stands by his family in these difficult times. The police said they were investigating the case.