Manipur Police have detained two persons in connection with Friday’s ambush that killed two Assam Rifles personnel in Bishnupur district and recovered a van suspected to have been used in the attack.

The police on Sunday posted on X that a search operation was conducted at Shantipur and Ishok in Nambol and two persons were “detained for further verification”.

A silver-blue Maruti van with registration number MN01W-6624, “suspected to have been used in the ambush, was recovered from Mutum Yangbi, Ward No. 1”, the post added.

The recovery was made about 8km from the attack site, which falls outside the purview of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, which gives security forces unbridled power to search, detain, arrest and shoot in areas designated as troubled.

“As per preliminary investigation, multiple owners of the said vehicle have been identified and efforts are still on to uncover more details. Investigation is (on) in full swing,” the police posted.

A security official said combing operations were underway.

Manipur governor A.K. Bhalla took stock of the security situation on Saturday with army, paramilitary and state government officials.

A Raj Bhavan statement issued on Saturday night said: “The discussion stressed the need for coordinated action among all security agencies to ensure swift identification of the perpetrators. It was also resolved that security arrangements must be further strengthened in vulnerable and sensitive areas, including highways, transit routes and border zones.”

Manipur is currently under President’s rule.

The attack suggests the ground situation remains volatile despite the heavy deployment of security forces since the outbreak of the ethnic conflict between the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zos on May 3, 2023, which has left at least 262 dead and over 60,000 displaced.

The ambush was carried out within seven days of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state on September 13.