NEW DELHI: In a significant breakthrough, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested a key conspirator involved in the brutal killings of three women and as many children in Manipur’s Jiribam district in November last year.The accused, identified as Thanglienlal Hmar alias Boya, a resident of Moinathol Dilkshosh Ghaat in Assam’s Cachar district, was apprehended by a joint team of the NIA and Assam Police, according to an official statement.Also Read: NIA arrests two militants involved in brutal killing of woman in Manipur’s Jiribam“Investigations have revealed that Boya was actively involved in both the conspiracy and execution of the horrendous crime,” the NIA said in the statement.“A mobile phone along with a SIM card was recovered by the NIA from the possession of the accused,” it addedThe victims were abducted and murdered by militants on November 11, 2024, in the Borobekra area of Jiribam. Their bodies were later dumped in the Barak river. The incident sparked renewed unrest in the region, already reeling from an ongoing ethnic conflict between the majority Meitei community and the tribal Kuki population since May 2023.