Imphal, April 02: Thoubal District police arrested two personnel of the III IRB presently attached to Thoubal district commandos for attempting to extort money from the Thoubal District Veterinary and Animal Husbandry office posing as PREPAK cadres on March 31.Both of them have been suspended with immediate effect and are presently lodged at the Thoubal PS.

The two arrested IRB personnel have been identified as Oinam Hillary (30) of Athokpam Khunou and Yaikhom Mohindro (35) of Thoubal Wangmataba.

Talking to mediapersons at the Attendant Office today, Thoubal District Veterinary and Animal Husbandry's Joint director Ch Ibomcha said that the two personnel were arrested while trying to extort money from the attendant cum chowkidar of the office identified as Khumujam Raghu.

Elaborating on the incident, Kh Raghu said that five employees of the office including himself were arrested by Thoubal District Commandos on March 10 for possessing Rs 3,30,740.However, all of them were released on the same day as the police later found out that the seized money was meant for paying salaries to the employees of the office.

The seized amount was also returned to the concerned office the following day by the Thoubal SP, added Raghu.

Surprisingly, two youths on a Yamaha motorcycle (MN 04-8255) came on March 11 at around 6.30 insisted that the money be handed over to them as the party's elders had asked for it.

After much quarrelling the two, youths left the place threatening to inform the elders for not obeying the party's diktats.

Informing that the youths again came looking for the Dept's cashier at the Veterinary office on March 17, Raghu said that OC of the Thoubal police and AC of III IRB had also come to the office and enquired about the youths who had come to extort money from the office.

Raghu further stated that on March 30 one of the youths came and abducted him from near the DC office but was later released.

Following the abduction the Joint Director immediately filed a complaint at the police station.

Joining in the interaction, Joint Director Ibomcha said police informed about the arrest of two IRB youths in connection with extortion case when the employees of the Veterinary Office went to the Thoubal Police to enquire about the abduction late in the evening.

Meanwhile, an emergency meeting of the District Veterinary Attendant Union was held today denouncing the act of the two IRB personnel involved in the extortion act.

Members present at the meeting also unanimously resolved to appeal to the authorities concerned to take up appropriate actions against the two IRB personnel besides submitting a complaint to the JAC of the Thoubal Dist employees regarding the matter.

The employees also threatened to close down the office indefinitely if the Govt fails to work out an amicable solution with the family members of the IRB personnel who had threatened the office employees after the incident.

Talking to The Sangai Express, Thoubal Dist SP Kailun said that the two IRB personnel had been placed under suspension and lodged at the IRB HQ following reports that the two were involved in extortion attempts in Thoubal dist but the duo somehow returned to Thoubal and managed to abduct Raghu during the suspension period.

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