NPUI condemns criminal activities against Naga girls
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, December 17 2023:
Naga People's Union Imphal (NPUI) condemned alleged criminal activities and abduction of Naga girls, who are running beauty parlour in Imphal area, for ransom.
In a release, NPUI informed that it received complaints by the victims that some armed miscreants abducted four Naga Girls hailing from Chandel and working in a beauty parlour in Imphal, two Anal girls, one Lam-kang girl and another Aimol girl and demanded Rs 3-4 lakh from a Beauty Parlour run by an Anal Naga lady located at Khongnang Ani Karak near Bazaarlndia, Imphal on December 12.The incident occurred around 12 noon wherein the proprietor and her three staffers were picked up from their beauty parlour by 10-12 well-armed people who came in two vehicles and took them to the hillside in Sawombung and Sekta area.
They asked them to cough up Rs 3-4 lakh in exchange for their release, and threatened to kill them on the spot if the monetary demand is not ceded.
However, "after some of their local friends intervened and spoke to some elders and leaders of the area, the four Girls were released around 6 pm from Sekta", continued the Inpui release.
It also contended that one of the victims - an Aimol girl was beaten black and blue and she is now undergoing treatment, the union denounced.
The release further continued that even after they were released, the said armed persons kept calling them over phone especially to proprietor of the parlour to arrange the said amount within two-three days, while threatening to kill them if not complied with.
As such, the parlour remains closed for fear of their lives, it continued.
Meanwhile, in another on December 12 around 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm, seven girls/women belonging to Tangkhul, Maring, Mio and Kabui were taken hostage by unknown armed miscreants, including three females, from a beauty parlour located at Chingmeirong near Vishal Mall, Imphal after confiscating the victims' mobile phones, Aadhaar cards, besides clicking their photo and video recording the entire hold-up.
The seven, including manager and proprietor of the parlour, were then forced into a Gypsy vehicle at gun point and taken to the jungle near Sekta village in Imphal East district where the armed miscreants started thrashing the proprietor and manager.
The armed miscreants, according to the Inpui, slapped monetary demand of Rs 5 lakh from the beauty parlour out of which Rs 2 lakh were paid.
Condemning the atrocious acts, the union claimed that many beauty parlours in Imphal city run by Nagas ladies have been encountering similar incidents with some forced to pay the amount demanded ranging from some few thousands to lakhs of rupees.
Appealing to those armed miscreants to stop harassing Naga girls who are running beauty parlours in Imphal and in the valley areas too, to avoid causing misunderstanding between Nagas and non-Naga communities in Imphal and Manipur, the release urged the state government, Governor and Home Ministry to seriously and immediately look into the incidents at the earliest possible by implementing a proper law and order to protect innocent life and properties and not to harm the Naga girls in future.
Nagas running shops, beauty parlours, hotels, vendors or any kind of businesses - small or large, are not safe in Imphal and in valley areas of Manipur due to ransom demand, forced taxes/donations and frequent kidnapping by armed miscreants, the release continued, while maintaining that the Nagas living in Imphal and valley areas of Manipur are not safe.
The Union advised all to be vigilant and remain on high alert, and appealed to non-Naga CSOs to extend help in promoting peaceful co-existence.
It further informed all concerned to contact NPUI grievance cell on the numbers 8974122842, 9436088062, 8798249191, 8974378616, 9862816973 .
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