Guwahati, May 15 -- By NE NOW NEWS

Imphal: About 28 of the 38 Kuki and Naga civilians held hostage by armed groups in Manipur's Kangpokpi and Senapati districts have been released, police said on Friday, even as efforts continue to secure the release of the remaining individuals.

The abductions came in the aftermath of violence on Wednesday, when suspected militants shot dead three church leaders and injured four others in Kangpokpi district. In a separate incident, a civilian was killed and his wife injured in Noney district.

According to a senior police officer, 12 Naga women from Konsakhul village who were held captive were released at Makhan village. In Senapati district, four men and ten women from the Kuki community were handed o...