Army Col gives in with 4 other accomplices
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, October 09 2013 :
Among the seven accused in the Pallel drug haul case, five of them including former PIB Defence Wing PRO Col Ajay Chowdhry surrendered before the Special Court of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) at Lamphel here today.
Subsequently, the special court remanded them to judicial custody for 15 days.
All the seven accused, who were out on bail, had to been directed to surrender before the court by an order passed by a single bench of Justice N Kotiswar of Manipur High Court on October 3 last.
The High Court had also squashed the earlier bail orders issued by the Special Court (NDPS) to release them.
The High Court order had asked all the seven accused to surrender within one week.
But only Col Ajay Chowdhry (49), Saikholen Haokip (35), RK Babloo (25), Lunkhahao Haokip alias Haopu (28) and Ngairangbam Brojendro (40) turned up and surrendered before the court of Judge in-charge of the Special Court (NDPS) M Ibohal in the afternoon today.
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Two other accused namely Jangminthang Tuboi (27) and Letminlan Haokip failed to abide the court order.
The five surrendered accused were subsequently remanded to judicial custody till October 23 by the Special Court of NDPS.
It may be recalled here that five of them namely Col Ajay Chowdhry, who was then the PRO of PIB Defence Wing, Imphal, Ngairangbam Brojendro (40) s/o late Mg Gyaneshwar of Singjamei Khongnang Pheidekpi; who was then working as Assistant Manager (in-charge of customer care) of Indigo Airlines; RK Babloo (25) s/o RK Bijen of Top Khongnangkhong, who was a Sepoy in Territorial Army; Lunkhahao Haokip alias Haopu (28) s/o late Thangam Haokip of Langol Game Village; Jangminthang Tuboi (27), s/o Lunkhohao of New Checkon were arrested by a team of Thoubal Police Commandos while they were trying to smuggle in huge quantity of drugs worth around Rs 25 crores into Myanmar in three vehicles from Pallel area in Chandel ditrict on February 14, 2013 .
In the follow up investigation, police also managed to arrest Saikholen Haokip (35), who is said to be the estranged son of former Minister and Congress MLA TN Haokip and Letminlan Haokip.
However, Col Ajay Chowdhry, Ng Brojendro and RK Babloo were released on bail on July 12 by the Special Court (NDPS) while Lunkhohao Haokip, Seikholen Haokip, Zangminthang Tuboi and Letminlan Haokip were released on July 17 last.
After the High Court of Manipur cancelled the bail order issued by the Special Court (NDPS) on October 3 and asked directed them to surrendered, all the seven accused reportedly approached the Supreme Court pleading for bail.
However, the apex court also rejected their bail plea, thus, leaving no option to them but to surrender.