Wife of missing man among six sent to jail
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 14 2011:
Including the wife of a man, whose whereabouts remain unknown till date, six persons have been arrested by police and consequently sent to jail.
It is said that one Laimayum Sashikanta Sharma alias Kanta (38) of Iroisemba Lourembam Leikai left home on April 22 for Shokvao village of Ukhrul along with five others as they were engaged in timber work.
Although five of his companions returned home two days later Sashikanta reportedly stayed back at the Ukhrul village.
based on the complaint lodged by Sashikanta's mother to the Chief Judicial Magistrate (Ukhrul) of her son missing from home, police pulled up the timber trader namely Aleng (45), Sashikanta's wife Thoibi and the five persons who had accompanied the missing man.
Among the arrested persons, include one Khumanthem Khoibi (50) of Sagolband Khamnam Leirak who hired the six to work for Aleng with the others identified as Moirangthem Sanjoy (34) of Khamnam Leirak, Soraisam John (28) of the same locality of Sanjoy, Naorem Raghu (40) of Sagolband Lukram Leirak and Salam Sanatomba of Thanga Salam Lukram Leirak.
Speaking to newspersons in connection with the case, Khamnam Leirak Apunba Meira Paibi Lup secretary Khaidem Sumati said along with some individuals from Sashikanta's locality a joint search was launched to track Sashikanta along with volunteers of Tangkhul Naga Long and Shangshak police station.
Sumati suspected misinformation to the police by Sashikanta's parents/family members for the detention of Thoibi and six others.
She quoted Sashikanta's accomplices as saying that her husband, while staying at a make-shift hut near the work place on april 22 behaved strangely and murmured insensibly.
Taking into account Sashikanta's condition all the timber workers left the work site and were returning home when Sashikanta suddenly ran away and disappeared.
Sumati also informed that the jacket worn by Sashikanta was recovered from a Finch Corner area and is in the custody of police in addition to contending that Sashikanta's elder brother opposed Thoibi's family members from joining the search.
Sumati further confided that when the in-laws insisted to mortgage half the homestead land of Sashikanta to bear the expenses incurred in finding Sashikanta, Thoibi refused to comply.
While observing that arrest of Thoibi and six others in connection with the missing of Sashikanta seemed to be based on misinformation by her (Thoibi) in-laws, Sumati rued that detaining the seven without any concrete evidence of their involvement, if any, is not justifiable.