Defence PRO among 6 arrested in Manipur drug haul

A colonel-rank defence PRO and five others were on Sunday arrested by Manipur police after they were caught allegedly carrying illicit drugs valued at an estimated Rs. 15 crore meant to be smuggled out to Myanmar, in one of the biggest such hauls in the state.

The contraband was found in three vehicles at Pallel in Chandel district, state police said in Imphal, adding they had taken into custody defence PRO Colonel Ajay Chaudhary, his assistant RK Babalu, IndiGo assistant manager Brojendro Singh, Haopu Haokip, Minthang Bongel and Milan Haokip.

The six were interrogated at Pallel police station, about 45 kms south-east of in Imphal, police said.

A case has been registered against them under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. They will taken to Kakshing police station in Thoubal district, they said.
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"Colonel Ajay Chaudhary has been arrested this morning by the Manipur police along with five other persons. We have been made to believe that certain contrabands have been recovered," Army spokesperson Colonel Jagdeep Dahiya said in Delhi.

The Army promised strict disciplinary action if any personnel were found involved in the case and a defence ministry spokesman said in Delhi that once a formal report into the incident comes to the department, appropriate action will be taken against the officer.

Claiming that he was not aware that the consignment contained illicit drugs, Ajay Chaudhary said he was "cheated" by "nephew of a very senior officer" into accompanying him. He, however, did not identify whom he was referring to among those arrested.

"Yesterday, the nephew of a very senior officer whom I know had come to me. I have met him two or three times at his place. He said he had come to trade in Moray and a few people harassed him enroute to Moray," he said.

"I asked him what it was, he said nothing just a few things that I deal with. There will be a few packages I would be taking in my car. So you don't have to worry. So I said OK...," Chaudhary said, adding he had also asked his friend from IndiGo who agreed to join him so that they could do some "shopping" in Moray.

The officer said he had allowed the commandoes at a a check point to inspect the vehicles as he had suspected nothing wrong.

"Since, he is a friend and he is a relative of someone senior, you will never suspect him of doing anything like this.... Somehow I have been cheated in this," he said.

Army spokesman Dahiya said, "We would like to state this much that if he is found guilty as per the law of the land, strict disciplinary action will be taken against him", adding, "we will get involved in the process when we are formally approached".

The drugs included pseudoephedrine tablets Respifed, Omkop, Hilcold, Polyfed and Actidin and were worth Rs. 15 crore, they said, adding it was one of the biggest drug hauls in the state.

Also called party drugs, they are prone to abuse as they cause intoxication.

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Man from Manipur held for murder, auto theft

A self-styled commander of a banned terrorist organisation from Manipur was arrested on Tuesday on the charge of escaping from judicial custody. Police had announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to his arrest.

According to police, Mohammad Abbas Khan alias Fazur alias Roshan, is a resident of Thoubal district in Manipur and was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell for escaping from judicial custody in Manipur. "Abbas is a self-styled fighting commander of People's United Liberation Front (PULF), a banned terrorist outfit of Manipur. He is involved in 12 cases of murder, abduction and other unlawful activities," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Sanjeev Yadav told reporters.

Khan was arrested by Special Cell in June 2010 for his involvement in vehicle theft and making forged documents for stolen vehicles. "On December 1 last year, he was admitted to JNIMS hospital in Manipur, from where escaped judicial custody. Mounted technical surveillance and inputs regarding his presence in Delhi led to his arrest from Shakarpur on Tuesday," Yadav said.

During questioning, Khan revealed that he was born in Manipur and has five siblings. He told police went to Bangalore after clearing the class X examination in Manipur. "In Bangalore, he got in touch with Bangalore Manipuri Students' Union. His father, then, was an over ground worker of KYKL — another banned terrorist outfit — and was later killed in an encounter with security forces at Samurao in Imphal," Yadav said.

After completing his studies, Abbas returned to Manipur, got married and started a business that he ran till 2007.

In March 2007, PULF got divided into three factions and Khan joined one of them. Khan, along with two of his aides, killed one Zuma Khan, the head of another faction.

Khan allegedly killed his lawyer in 2012.

"While Abbas was in custody, one Hakim was his lawyer. Khan felt that Hakim was not pursuing his release sincerely. After escaping from judicial custody, he killed Hakim and was hiding in Delhi since then," Yadav said.

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10-yr RI for rapist father

Guwahati, Feb. 8 : Gauhati High Court has upheld the conviction of a man for raping his 14-year-old daughter and attempting to rape his other minor daughter as well.

Holding the accused, Krishna Chetia, guilty of the crime, a single-judge bench of Justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari upheld a 2009 Dhemaji sessions judge order sentencing the 50-year-old accused to undergo rigorous imprisonment for 10 years.

Delivering the judgment yesterday, the high court held that a father being charged of raping his daughter is not only a heinous crime but also betrayal of trust since it is a father’s duty to protect his children in all possible manners and under all adverse circumstances.

According to the high court, the accused had betrayed the trust of his daughters.

Chetia had sexually abused his two minor daughters and raped the elder one in July 2008.

The trial court had convicted him for attempting to rape his younger daughter, who was only 10 years old, when the crime was committed.

“A father is special to every child. He is always a person who provides that much-needed emotional and physical security to a child. He saves his children from all the ugliness of the world,” Dhemaji sessions judge J. Begum Anowar said in her order passed on July 9, 2009.

“He (father) is the protector of a girl child. But this is a case of a father who allegedly abused his two young daughters one after another to satisfy his sexual lust,” the order added.

The Dhemaji sessions judge also imposed a fine of Rs 6,000 on the accused. He will have to undergo rigorous imprisonment for further six months if he fails to pay the fine.

The accused then moved the high court in 2009 challenging the verdict.

During yesterday’s hearing, public prosecutor Z. Kamar submitted before the high court that nothing can be more horrendous than this crime as the accused has crossed the line of human dignity.

Police had registered the case against the accused at Silapathar police station in Dhemaji district based on an FIR lodged against him by his wife.

He allegedly assaulted his wife when she protested his heinous act. She was forced to leave the house and lodge a complaint with the police.

The statements of the two victims recorded before a magistrate stated that both were sexually abused by their father several times.

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