Imphal, January 20: In continuing offensives ahead of the Republic Day celebration on January 26, militants struck and attacked a CRPF convoy with guns and bombs at Gelmol Lamkhai located about 2 kms south of Moirang police station today at about 6.30 am wounding a CRPF Head Constable.

A stray bullet also hit a civilian in the subsequent gun fight that followed the attack launched by the militants.

According to reports culled from the site of the incident the CPRF personnel attached to the 7th Bn and stationed at Moirang INA complex were on their way to Tronglaobi on ROP duty.

As per instructions from the higher authority the troops were getting ready to conduct frisking at Gelmol Lamkhai, when the militants who were apparently lying in wait, attacked the troops with bombs and guns.

The CRPF personnel immediately retaliated and returned fire using heavy artillery such 2 inch mortars.

As the militants made good their escape towards the back side of Gelmol Lamkhai, the CRPF personnel gave chase firing all the way.

A Head Constable of the CRPF was injured in the attack by the militants when a bullet which hit the bullet proof vest ricocheted and hit his left arm.

The injured jawan is identified as Mohan Singh (40) of Uttaranchal.

He is presently undergoing treatment at RIMS hospital.

On immediate receipt of the attack, police commandos of Bishnupur police and IRB rushed to the spot and chased the militants upto Mashemjang village in bullet proof vehicles.

The fleeing militants also returned fire with lathode bombs and heavy guns, said sources.

Two bullets hit the bullet proof vehicle of the IRB men.

As the police commandos and IRB men retracted they found a civilian with bullet wounds at Tronglaobi.

The injured civilian has been identified as Yumlembam Gulap (35) of Tronglaobi Makha Leikai.

He received a bullet wound on his abdomen and has been admitted to RIMS hospital.

Following the attack on the CRPF men, the people of Gelmol who were in the vicinity of the attack ran helter skelter with a good many of them taking shelter in the nearby paddy fields.

CRPF personnel recovered a chadar cap, blankets and a magazine container from the nearby fields later.

These items are suspected to have been used by the militants.

The dense fog gave ample cover to the militants to escape after the attack.

Even as the attack was on at Tronglaobi, another group of CRPF men who were on ROP duty in the vicinity of Moirang Electricity Colony detected a bomb and defused it safely.

The bomb which weighed around five kgs was found fitted with a 300 metre wire which stretched up to Ngangkha Lawai.

The wire was found fitted with a metre inside a compound.

The bomb was removed by a team of bomb experts from the CRPF and safely defused today at about 10.10 am.

Unidentified youth shot dead: Unidentified gunmen shot dead a youth yesterday at about 8 pm at the Eastern village road adjoining Chingnungkok and Lousing Tangkhul village and located about 7 kms east of Lamlai police station.

Police sources said that the body was found today.

Villagers said that they heard the loud reports of gun fire yesterday at about 8 pm.

The body was found draped in a Mao shawl.

The deceased youth appears to be in his thirties and was attired in a blue coloured pair of jeans.

A string was found attached round the waist.

He was shot through the head.

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