3 Mizoram residents found dead inside Myanmar territory; investigation on

Investigation on the mysterious deaths of three persons from Mizoram, including a woman inside Myanmar is going on by Mizoram Police on war footing.

It may be mentioned here that Biaksuii also called as Suiteii Chinzah (48), B. Lalthafamkima (40) and Bablu Talukdar (37), all from south Mizoram’s Siaha district were found dead in Myanmar near the Mizoram-Myanmar border on March 23.

Police said that the three persons seemed to have been murdered and torched after they died.

“The initial reports said that they were killed by the Chin underground militants fighting against the military junta due to swindling of Rs 3 lakhs of Indian currency for purchase of arms,” Police said, adding, “However, it was found that the money allegedly swindled was only Rs 50,000.”

However, a large number of people living in the border area, as well as the Police did not rule out the handiwork of the Myanmar army personnel.

As per inputs, Suiteii Chinzah and Bablu Talukdar were taken away from their Siaha house early on March 19 by a person they knew.

They were then driven to the border in a mini-truck by B. Lalthafamkima (22), who lives in the nearby village of Lungpher in the Lawngtlai district.

They reached Ainak village in Lawngtlai district (Situated just across Myanmar border) at around 7.30 AM the same day. They were pretending to be taking patients from Myanmar. Since then they were missing. On March 23 morning, their charred bodies were found in a forest inside Myanmar about 2 kilometres from the international border.

The bodies of the trio was brought to Mizoram side by volunteers going to Myanmar from Ainak, Lungpher and Siaha. Later when an autopsy was completed that day, funerals were performed in their houses.

Meanwhile, Mara Thyutlia Pi, an apex women body of Mara people based in Siaha, vehemently condemned the incident.

MTP leaders T. Khukhu said they believed three people were taken by the rebels in Myanmar.

MTP leaders said that the three were believed to have been killed before being burnt to death. Suitei Chinzah and Babu Talukdar were immigrant from Myanmar but they have been living in Siaha for a long time.

Police have registered a case against the incident and investigation is undergoing.

This is the first incident of persons from Mizoram being taken to Myanmar and murdered since the military coup in that country on February 1, 2021.

The state shares 404-km porous international border with Myanmar and the border areas are infamous for being the conduits for drug trafficking, gold smuggling and arms running.

Thousands of people from Myanmar have taken refuge in Mizoram after the military junta seized power through a coup in February 2021.