Manipur News

IMPHAL, Feb 26: Manipur police busted an illegal arms hideout and claimed to have recovered huge quantity of arms and ammunition besides arresting one arm smuggler.
A release from Superintendent of Police, Imphal East District Police said under his supervision illegal arm dealer Kshetrimayum Umakanta aged 44, son of late Ksh Ibochouba, resident of Singjamei Bheigyapati Leikai, was apprehended by a team of commando personnel on February 24 around 7:45 am.
The arms and ammunition were unearthed in a two-wheeler workshop at Bheigyapati Leikai opposite Mata Cinema Hall.
The seized items are one country- made single barrel, two pistols, one air pistol and one white colour plastic bottle containing 33 rounds and another white colour plastic bottle filling with gunpowder and four empty cases.
An FIR case has been registered against the arm smuggler and started investigation into the incident, the police officer added.
In an unrelated incident, a combined team of Imphal East District Police Commandos and 30 Assam Rifles arrested three hardcore members of the banned KCP-MTF yesterday, the release further said.
The trio has been identified as Ningthoujam Gogonbihari aged 25, son of late N Toicha, a resident of Wangkhei Lourembam Leikai, Leimapokpam Boby alias Sana aged 35, son of L Achouba from Thambal Lisham Leirak and Lisham Abung alias Sanatomba aged 21, son of L Thoibi of Thambalkhong Lisham Leirak.
The combined security team nabbed them from Wangkhei Ayangpalli area during a search operation, it said, adding they were working under the command of one Singajit of Kangleipak Communist Party faction of KCP-MTF.
One demand letter and two mobile handsets were recovered from them.
It added that they were involved in several extortion and arm hauling cases.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/arms-recovered-by-police/

IMPHAL, Feb 26 MNS : An army jawan was killed and another three wounded in an IED explosion in Manipur’s Churachandpur district early Tuesday, Police reports said here. The proscribed militant outfit Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF) had claimed responsibility for the Tuesday’s bomb attack.
A ‘special warfare’ team of People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the armed wing of RPF carried out the attack, the report quoted a statement of the outfit as saying.
The explosion took place at around 7 am at a place between S Kotlen and Torbung Bungalow about 8 Km north of Churachandpur Police Station, the police said.
They said the bomb planted on a culvert set off as a foot patrolling party of 1/11 Gurkha Regiment passed through it, killing one soldier and wounding another three.
The wounded have been brought to the Leimakhong military hospital for medical treatment.
The deceased Army jawan has been identified as Waqt Kailash aged 29, of 107 Engineering Unit, Leimakhong Army Headquarters, but was attached to the 1/11 GR.
And the wounded were Havildar Amit Tamang, Subedar Bahadur Raj and Lance Naik M Sunil Kumar.
Meanwhile, another IED weighing 3.3 kg was found near the BRTF office under Lamphel Police Station in Imphal West district, the police said.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/jawan-killed-three-injured-in-blast/

IMPHAL, Feb 26 NNN : The arrest of the Army colonel was not the end in drug smuggling by people in high position.
A son of a senior Congress MLA of Manipur has been arrested and huge quantity of drugs has been recovered from the MLA’s private residence by the police.
Based on the information provided by Army Colonel Ajay Choudhury and his five cohorts yesterday after the interrogation, Manipur police swooped down to the MLA’s house late last night and arrested senior Congress MLA TN Haokip’s son identified as one Saikholen Haokip (35) and recovered 4 huge cartons of drugs containing 2316 strips at 10 pm on Monday from the MLA’s private house located at Fifth Avenue, Deulahlane in Imphal.
Police said psychotropic drugs Pseudoephedrine tablets which include Ketamine hydrochloride injection I.P and Extamine 500 mg.
Three FIR have also been filed ( FIR numbers are 25, 26, 27) under Section 21/29 of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 against the MLA’s son.
Saikholen Haokip was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Thoubal district today and remanded him to police custody till March 8.
All the seven arrested people including Col. Ajay Choudhury will be produced on March 8 at 1 pm before the Special Court of NDB-Lamphel in Imphal.
TN Haokip is a senior Congress MLA from Churachandpur district’s Saikot assembly constituency. He had been a cabinet minister in his past tenures.
It is worth noting that Army colonel Ajay Choudhury and five others were arrested on Sunday morning when they were transporting a huge consignment of the banned drugs to Myanmar from Imphal which worth Rs 15 crore and Rs 24 crore in the international market.The Defence Ministry yesterday ordered the removal from his post of Manipur Army PRO Lt Col Ajay Kumar Choudhury ho was arrested with drugs worth about Rs 15 crore at Pallel, Thoubal district.
The Defence Ministry has also sought a report about the incident from the local Army authorities.
An Army jawan and a senior official of Indigo Airlines were also detained for alleged involvement in the drug trafficking.
The Defence Ministry said it would hurt the Army’s image if Col Choudhury remained in his post, according to a spokesman.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/haokips-son-nabbed-for-involvement-in-pallel-drug-case/