Pallel drug haul case: Four including son of sitting MLA granted bail
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 15 2013: Of the seven persons who were remanded to judicial custody in connection with the infamous drug seizure at Pallel on February 24 this year, four persons including the son of sitting Congress MLA, TN Haokip have been released on bail, by the Special Court NDPS today.

The seven accused were produced before the Court and after hearing the defence counsel, the four were released on bail on a surety amount of Rs 1 lakh each.

The four who have been released today are Seikholen Haokip, son of sitting Congress I MLA TN Haokip, Lunkhohao Haokip, Lunminlal Haokip and Yangminthang Doungel.

While the other six were arrested along with a huge consignment of drugs by a team of Thoubal police commandos at Pallel on February 24, Seikholen Haokip was picked up from his Deulalane residence the following day along with a consignment of drugs, by Thoubal police.

The drug seizure created a ripple across the State for it was and is still the largest seizure with the worth of the drugs pegged at about Rs 25 crore and also because the Defence Spokesman posted at Imphal, Colonel Ajay Choudhry was among the six persons arrested at Pallel.

Some of the accused now out on bail being produced before the Court on March 8

The other three who are still in judicial custody, lodged at Sajiwa Jail, are Ajay Choudhry, Ngairangbam Brojendro an Assistant Manager of Security Staff, Indigo Airlines and Army sepoy, RK Babloo.

The State Government had decided to rope in the service of the CBI to probe the case and had even written to the agency to take over the case.

But till date, there is no report of any response from the CBI, except for an acknowledgement that they have received the request of the State Government to take over the case.

Speaking to The Sangai Express a source from the Home Department said that Chief Minister O Ibobi personally wrote to the Prime Minister to let the CBI take over the case.

The matter was subsequently referred to the Union Home Ministry which in turn notified the same to the Department of Personnel and Training to be forwarded to the CBI.

The same has been conveyed to the State Government by the Union Home Ministry.

The State Government has also written to the DOPT on the matter, said the source, but till date nothing final has been said.

The Pallel case came even as there was a wide uproar over the disbandment of the Special Investigation Unit, after a huge drug consignment was seized at Tulihal airport on January 11 this year by the SIU.

Demands were raised to reveal the true identity of the owner of the drug consignment seized at the airport, but till date no headway has been made.

The CBI had earlier turned down the approach of the State Government to probe the drug seizure case at Tulihal airport.