Imphal, Nov. 19: The militant United Peoples Party of Kangleipak released Ch. Tombi Singh, the husband of a panchayat member in Imphal East, on Wednesday, apparently succumbing to mounting pressure from protesters.

Tombi Singh’s family confirmed that he had reached home at 9pm yesterday after the outfit set him free at an undisclosed location earlier in the day.

Tombi Singh, the husband of Radhe Devi, a member of Andro Nagar panchayat, was abducted on the night of November 11 from his Uchol Awang Leikai residence in Imphal East.

The rebels had come looking for Radhe Devi, but after failing to find her at home, they took away her husband.

The cadres reportedly came to Radhe Devi’s house after the panchayat’s chairperson, Leirangton Devi, went into hiding. The outfit had accused the local body of misusing development funds to the tune of Rs 15 lakh.

The outfit, however, is yet to free two engineers of the state electricity department, who were abducted on November 6. It had informed their families that the duo were abducted as part of an investigation into a financial scandal in the power department.

Relatives and residents of the localities where the two engineers resided formed a joint action committee yesterday to launch an agitation.

As the rescue operations were stepped up, a joint team of police and the Assam Rifles gunned down a militant in an encounter at Tiger Camp under Lamlai police station of Imphal East early this morning.

An AK rifle with a magazine having 12 live rounds, one Chinese hand grenade and a lethod shell were recovered from the rebel.

In another encounter, the police and Assam Rifles shot dead another militant at Wangthulok under Tengnoupal police station in Chandel district early this morning.

In yet another incident, suspected militants shot at the proprietor of a cinema hall, Janata Talkies, at Moirang in Bishnupur district last night.

Police said Konjengbam Jiten Singh, 37, was shot on his right thigh by unknown gunmen at his residence. He is undergoing treatment at Shija Hospital here.