Further remand
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 15 2019:
Two individuals, who were arrested on November 8 in connection with the bomb explosion near Sani Mandir in the morning of November 5 injuring five cops and a civilian, were remanded to 5 more days in custody of City PS today.
The two individuals, Nongthongbam Ishorchandra alias Naocha (22) s/o Rajendro and Nongthongbam (N) Paonam (O) Bahen Devi, both from Tentha Tuwaband Leikai, were produced before the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal West, today along with a prayer for 5 more days police remand till November 19.During the proceeding, the IO submitted that an investigation was carried out by City PS in the November 5 blast and during the course of the investigation, CCTV footages were analysed during which one Paonam Manikanta (32) s/o Arun of Cachar Lakhinagar Maning Leikai, Jirighat, was identified as a prime suspect.
It was also learned that Manikanta worked as labourer at HVS Construction site located at Patsoi.
Accordingly, a raid was conducted but police failed to find Manikanta in the said area.
Other HVS Construction workers revealed that Manikanta had worked as a labourer and stayed at the site (since 2013) along with his wife Nongthongbam (N) Paonam (O) Bahen Devi but due to some issues, they were both expelled from the brick field sometime in August this year.
The workers were interrogated and cross examined one after another and during the interrogation, one Nongthongbam Ishorchandra (brother of Bahen Devi), working as a helper of a Tata Tipper, disclosed that after the blast took place in Thangal Bazaar, a police team came to HVS brick farm at Patsoi and searched for his brother in law, Manikanta.
He revealed that as soon as he came to know about this, he immediately informed his sister about the police raid at the brick field.
The IO continued that Nongthongbam Ishorchandra revealed that even after knowing that Manikanta is a trained cadre of PLA, he always assisted him in many unlawful activities.
On the other hand, during interrogation, Bahen Devi also revealed that she was aware about her husband being a trained cadre of PLA and added that he frequently used to go to Moreh in for activities related to his outfit.
Bahen disclosed that she was also involved in all activities of her husband and for that reason, she along with her husband were not accepted by their family members.
After being expelled from HVS Construction, they stayed at their parental home at Tentha, she revealed adding that on October 29, due to family problems, her husband left home and on November 7, Nongthongbam Ishorchandra informed her through phone that a team of police came to HVS construction in search of Manikanta for his involvement in the blast at Thangal Bazar and as such, she advised her husband to run away and evade arrest.
The IO further submitted that investigation revealed that the bomb which exploded at Thangal Bazar was planted by Paonam Manikanta and both the arrested individuals assisted him in many other illegal activities apart from extending support to the prime suspect to evade arrest, and prayed for remanding them to 5 more days in police custody.
It was also ascertained that Manikanta had close links with Hijam Romesh (26) s/o (L) Khomei and his elder brother Hijam Suraj, both of whom were arrested by a team of Patsoi police on October 30 along with three pistols and 15 hand grenades, the IO explained.
The Court, after going through the case records, remanded both Ishorchandra and Bahen Devi to police custody till November 19 .
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