Imphal, December 12 2008: Reacting to the contention of Ibungo Ngangom of the proscribed KCP that journalist Konsam Rishikanta Singh was picked up by some police commandos on the day he was found dead, Director General of Police (DGP) Y Joykumar Singh has issued a statement calling upon the public not to be misled by the 'so called Chief Project Officer-cum-Secretary, Information and public Relations Department, KCP.

The Project Officer of the banned outfit Ibungo Ngangom had yesterday claimed of the Imphal free Press junior sub-editor K Rishikanta of being picked up from Wahengbam Leikai area on November 17 in between 11 to 11.30 am by a team of Manipur Police Commando consisting of four personnel in civvies led by a Head Constable in a numberless Hyundai Getz.

Referring to the ongoing investigations into the controversial death of Rishikanta and in the backdrop of KCP allegations, the police chief conceded that the Police Department is making every effort to crack the case and establish identity of the murderer/s.Conveying that in the course of the investigation based on the FIR case registered at Lamphel police station, police investigators tracked the mobile phone used by Rishikanta (9856969427) to have been purchased in the name of one Th Sofia of Pheijaleitong, Joykumar said details furnished by service provider (Aircel) recorded 14 incoming calls from a particular phone No.9862207924 to Rishikanta's mobile in between 8.52 am and 12.42 pm and one outgoing call at 12.18 pm on November 17, the day Rishikanta's body was found at a Langol Hill range area.

Calculating duration of the incoming calls on that particular day from the Airtel number (9862207924) as 1331 seconds with the out-coming duration lasting 48 seconds, the DGP also informed of Rishikanta receiving a total of 223 calls from the same number within the period of November 6 till 17 compared to 77 outgoing calls to the same Airtel number as well as 96 SMS messages.

Further stating that the police have obtained call details of mobile phone No.9862207924 starting from November 1, 2008 to Rishikanta's cell-phone while conceding that details prior to the period had not been studied/assessed, the police chief added, "from the above details, it can be concluded that there was frequent contact and interaction between late Rishikanta and the caller using mobile phone No 9862207924" .

With reference to the KCP functionary speculating that the particular caller were one of the killers of the journalist, the DGP cited police records and verification of the Airtel number being issued in the name of one Mr Imkom Suwa Longs of Eastern Coaching Centre, River Belt Colony near Don Bosco School, Dimapur and the user's identity as that of one Thoithoiba.

Further stating that Thoithoiba claims himself to be the finance in-charge of KYKL for Imphal West district and has been using the same mobile number for conveying threats and extortion demands to a number of people and establishments, the DGP also pointed to a particular contention of Ibungo Ngangom.

Countering the KCP's Crime Prevention and Detection Bureau (CPDB) having come across Rishikanta being picked up in between 11 am and 11.30 am on November 17 from Wahengbam Leikai Lairembi lampak, the DGP posed "if this be true, then Shri Rishikanta spoke to and received calls from the individual using mobile No 9862207924 even after his abduction by the police commandos.

"yet the caller has remained quiet till date about the incident despite the assumption one can make that the late Rishikanta must have conveyed to that person about his being abducted by police commandos," the DGP added in his statement.

While the Police Department is looking at every possible angle about this case including the possibility of culprits being police personnel, the close nexus of late Rishikanta with someone who claims himself to be finance in-charge of KYKL of Imphal West district, one cannot rule out the possibility of involvement of UG outfits in the background of KYKL being an outfit which is prepared to give capital punishment to even its own cadre (for example, the case of murder of S/S Major Wangba in Delhi) and certain factions of the KCP MC having openly threatened in the recent past to kill cadres and sympathisers of KYKL and UNLF organisations, Y Joykumar asserted.