Manipur victims were snatched from police & raped on May 4 but no arrests till July 20?

As horrific details continue to emerge surrounding the heinous Manipur gangrape video, questions are mounting over the police's inaction over the May 4 incident. As confirmed by the Manipur police after the video went viral on July 19, the events witnessed in it had taken place over two months earlier. From the FIR lodged over the incident on June 21 based on the complaint filed on May 18, it also becomes apparent that the police likely knew of the incident from the very day it took place. 

Victims had been snatched from Police before being stripped & raped

The FIR revealed that the incident occurred around 3 pm on May 4 when 900-1000 people suspected to be from Meitei Youth organisations invaded a village and burned down the houses. They also looted movable properties like cash, furniture, electronics, and cattle. At this point, five villagers fled towards a nearby forest for their lives.

These villagers were rescued by the Police, which began to take them to the nearby police station. However, this rescue party was intercepted by the armed mob which 'snatched' the villagers from the cops' custody, just 2 km from Nongpok Sukmai Police Station. It is unclear at the time of publishing what happened to the police personnel from whom the villagers had been snatched.

What followed was the murder of a man by the mob while three women were forced to strip naked. One of the women was gangraped and her younger brother was killed for trying to intervene. At an unspecified later time, the women managed to escape the spot with help from some people in the areas who were known to them.

FIR on June 21, video viral on July 19, first arrest on July 20: What happened in between?

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said on July 20 that the Police "swung to action" and made the first arrest in the case, which came only after the video of the heinous crime surfaced. "A thorough investigation is currently underway and we will ensure strict action is taken against all the perpetrators, including considering the possibility of capital punishment. Let it be known, there is absolutely no place for such heinous acts in our society," Singh tweeted.  

Meanwhile, the Police have assured to nab all the culprits by the night of July 20 claiming they have identified all of them through the videos that surfaced online. "We have zeroed down on the main suspects seen in the video clearly. We are carrying out intelligence-based operations. All the perpetrators will be nabbed by tonight. We have identified all of them," the officials said per sources. At the time of publishing, only one person has been arrested, the one mentioned by Chief Minister Biren Singh.