Fourteen hostages belonging to the Kuki community were released on Tuesday after spending nearly four weeks in captivity, officials said.
A police official in Imphal said that while the 14 Kuki community members have been freed, there is still no information about the whereabouts of six Naga villagers who were also abducted on May 13.
According to the official, the 14 Kuki villagers were handed over to a police station in Senapati district by the United Naga Council (UNC) and the Naga People's Organisation (NPO) late on Tuesday afternoon.
The release of the 14 Kuki villagers comes amid heightened tensions in parts of Kangpokpi and Senapati districts.
"Concerned authorities have taken custody of the released individuals, and further details regarding the circumstances of their captivity and release are awaited," the official added.
Meanwhile, the situation in Kangpokpi, Senapati and adjoining districts of Manipur remained tense following incidents in which 20 members of the Naga and Kuki communities -- six Nagas and 14 Kuki individuals -- had remained untraced after being allegedly abducted by armed groups in Manipur's hill districts since May 13.
Despite intensive joint search operations by Central and state security forces over the past four weeks, the abducted persons could not be traced until the release of the 14 Kuki villagers on Tuesday.
However, the whereabouts of the six Naga villagers remain unknown.
According to officials, at least 50 people belonging to the Kuki and Naga communities were allegedly held hostage by different armed groups in Kangpokpi and Senapati districts following violent incidents on May 13, in which three church leaders were killed and four others injured in Kangpokpi district.
Around 30 individuals from both communities were released on May 14 and May 15 following sustained efforts by the authorities, community leaders and several civil society organisations.
Various organisations representing both the Naga and Kuki communities have been continuously staging protests and demanding the safe rescue of the abducted people.
Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh had earlier said that the cases relating to the abduction of six Naga villagers and the killing of three church leaders in Kangpokpi district on May 13 had already been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for a detailed investigation.
