Man behind threat on media in police net
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, September 27 2013 :
Just a day after officials of Press Council of India (PCI) met Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Gaikhangam and questioned the alleged silence of the State Government over the plights of media persons in Manipur who are working against all odds, the State Police Department today claimed to have arrested the man responsible for issuing repeated threats to media houses and media fraternity including newspaper hawkers in the state recently.
A team of Imphal West District Police Commandos led by DSP Dr S Ibomcha reportedly arrested Thokchom Priyokumar alias Pathoi (30) s/o late Th Patho of Uchiwa Hayen Hangun under Mayang Imphal in Imphal West district, who, the police said, is the man behind the recent threats to media houses, journalists and newspaper distributors/hawkers over non-publication of a statement.
He issued the threats through mobile phone and sending SMSes.
Informing this to media persons, Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam, who also holds the portfolio of Home, stated that the police have been trying their level best to arrest those involved in threatening media persons including even the hawkers.
Police managed to arrest the accused Priyokumar with the help of phone tracking from Kakching Khunou in Thoubal district around 2:30 pm Friday.
Priyokumar works as a technical staff member in a private company called Infra Tel after passing BE from MIT, the Deputy Chief Minister said, adding that further investigation is on to find out more clues in connection with the threat.
Priyokumar is presently under interrogation and hopefully all the others involved in the crime would be arrested very soon, Gaikhangam added.
It may be recalled here that the threat had caused a serious problem in the functioning of media house for over two weeks during which publication and distribution of newspapers in the State was affected.
According to reliable source, a laptop, a scanner, a printer and a SIM card have also been recovered from the house of the arrested Priyokumar.
The original copy of the press statement sent to all the media houses under the name of a UG group was also seized from his possession.
Answering to a query, Gaikhangam stated that if there were proper evidences that Major Sriramkumar of Assam Rifles was involved in the killing of Yengkhom Krishnadas of Kakching after being abducted for ransom from his wife's house at Thangmeiband, then all necessary legal procedures would be taken up against him.
There is also the need to further investigate in this matter.