12 insurgents handed over by Myanmar, 206 others test COVID negative in Manipur

A total of 218 people, including 12 of the 22 insurgents handed over to India by Myanmar recently, were tested negative for COVID-19 on Sunday, an official said. Manipur authorities have got the custody of the 12 militants on Friday. Their samples tested negative for novel coronavirus, health department spokesperson Dr Khoirom Sasheekumar Mangang said.

The Myanmarese army on Friday had handed over to India 22 insurgents wanted in Assam and Manipur in a clandestine operation monitored by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. The insurgents were brought from India's eastern neighbour in a special aircraft. Of the 22, 10 were Bodo and Kamtapur insurgents who were kept under quarantine by the Assam Police. The remaining 12 were militants from Manipur.

The 206 other people who also tested negative for the disease included people of Manipur, who had been stranded outside because of the nationwide lockdown and returned to the state. The tests were conducted at the laboratories of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) and the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) hospitals.