Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh said that biometric details of 24 people from Myanmar, including 16 women, were collected in the Tengnoupal district as part of an exercise to identify illegal immigrants from the neighbouring country.

The state police along with Assam Rifles personnel and a team of officials collected the biometric details of these Myanmarese people residing in Govajang village on Wednesday, he said.

“...a combined team of DC, Tengnoupal led by Md. Ejaj, SDO, Moreh, E-Coy 5 AR, Moreh and OC, Moreh Police Station along with joint bio-metric team of Tengnoupal conducted search of houses in Govajang Village for purpose of re-verification/re-identification of individuals residing in the village,” Singh posted on Facebook.

“During the exercise, 24 (male-8, female-16) of Myanmar origin were identified. Further, their biometrics were captured by the team,” he said.

The state government had started the identification process earlier, but it came to a halt after violence broke out in May last year, an official said.

The administration had resumed the process in July last year, he said.

“Further biometric exercises will continue in Moreh and adjoining areas. Thanks to all security personnel and other government officials,” the chief minister said on social media.

Manipur shares a 398-km-long border with Myanmar, and of which only 10km have been fenced.

Border Roads Organistaion (BRO) has been given the responsibility of fencing the majority section of the international boundary and the work is underway, another official said.

Chins, who share ethnic ties with Kukis of Manipur, reside in Myanmar.