Drug haul of Rs 27 crore: Accused surrenders before Court post interim bail
Custody for alleged drug kingpin
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 12 2020: Alleged drug kingpin and former ADC Chandel Chairman, Lhukhosei Zou, who was granted three weeks interim bail on medical ground recently, surrendered before the Court and has been remanded to judicial custody.

Accused in a drug smuggling case worth crores in 2018, Lhukhosei Zou, 51, was granted interim bail by the Special Judge ND&PS on May 21 for cholecystectomy, a surgery to remove gallbladder.

He appeared in the same Court today and informed that he was admitted at the Christian Hospital, Imphal on June 2 and underwent cholecystectomy on June 4 .

Drug haul of Rs 27 crore: Accused surrenders before Court post interim bail

He was discharged on June 8 with the advice for health check-up on June 13 and complete bed rest for one month.

Special Public Prosecutor for the State submitted that post surgery medical checkup of Lhukhosei Zou and the advice for bed rest may be taken care of by the jail authority as there are Medical Officers available in the jail complex.

The Court examined the materials on record including the petition, medical testimonies and photographs showing the operation (surgery) in the hospital and observed that further extension of interim bail on medical ground is not called for and remanded Lhukhosei Zou to judicial custody.

Soon after the Court order, Lhukhosei Zou was taken to Sajiwa Central Jail by a team of Imphal West district police led by AG Sharma Additional, SP (Law and Order).

It may be mentioned that a combined team of Narcotics and Affair of Border (NAB) and Imphal West district Police had arrested Lhukhosei Zou and seven of his associates along with a huge quantity of heroin and World is Yours (WY) tablets worth about Rs 27 crore and Rs 57,18,000 in cash around midnight of June 19, 2018 .

Lhukhosei Zou had earlier failed to appear in the Court after he was released on interim bail on health ground for treatment on December 19, 2018 by the same Court.

After remaining traceless, despite many efforts by the police, he appeared and surrendered in the Court of Special Judge ND&PS on February 28 this year.

Meanwhile, High Court of Manipur is hearing a criminal contempt case filed against former Additional SP NAB Th Brinda for allegedly making derogatory remarks against the Special Judge ND&PS following the grant of three weeks interim bail to Lhukhosei Zou on medical ground.