DIMAPUR, Feb 18 NNN: Crores in hard cash, cache of arms and truck loads of liquor continue to flow in Nagaland in the face of fervent ‘Clean Election Campaign’ spearheaded by Nagaland Baptist Churches Council (NBCC).
Two days after Rs 1 crore was seized by the security force personnel from Naga People’s Front (NPF) candidate Nyemli Phom at Longleng in eastern Nagaland when the candidate flew in with by a chopper with the cash, Rs 1 crore 10 lakhs along with a cache of arms and liquor was seized again from another NPF candidate who is also happened to be Nagaland home minister this morning at Wokha.
Official sources said Nagaland home minister Imkong L Imchen was not arrested but “held and been detained” in Wokha district as he was transporting a cache of arms and ammunition, liquor and Rs.1 crore 10 lakhs in a vehicle.
Early today, the Nagaland home minister was heading from Kohima to his constituency Koridang in Mokokchung district and when he entered Wokha district he encountered the Assam Rifles carrying out a routine frisking at a place at around 6:30 am, the sources said.
In the course of frisking in his vehicle, the huge amount of cash with the cache of arms and liquor were found.
The Assam Rifles subsequently handed the Nagaland home minister to the Wokha district administration and the police.
A case has been registered against him. Imkong I Imchen is still in the police custody till the filing of this report.
Meanwhile, talking to some media persons, deputy commissioner of Wokha district said, “The seized items included Rs.1.1 crore cash besides five 7.65 caliber pistols, two .303 rifles, 80 live cartridges of 7.65 pistols, 100 live cartridges of .303 rifle and 11 bottles of liquor.”
According to an Assam Rifles source, all the items in the vehicle have been seized in which the Nagaland minister was traveling in.
Meanwhile, the main opposition Congress party has demanded that stern action against the Nagaland home minister is taken immediately. Without losing time, Congress party stalwart in-charge of Nagaland Luizinho Faleiro on learning the incident, met the top officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in New Delhi and pressed that swift action is taken against Imkong I Imchen.
Former Opposition leader and Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) I Imkong said, “Disqualification of Nagaland home minister Imkong I Imchen will be a correct step for the part of the ECI.”
Calling the Nagaland home minister as a criminal, I Imkong accused that Imkong I Imchen has been committing criminal activities for sometime now.
Mention may be made here that in the year 2010, Nagaland home minister Imkong I Imchen was detained at the Kathmandu airport for carrying Indian currency notes in the denominations of Rs.1000 and Rs.500, which are banned in Nepal. Reports had it that the minister was carryinf some hefty Rs 9 lakhs in hard cash during the time.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/rs-one-crore-arms-seized-from-nagaland-hms-vehicle/
