Tulihal, Pallel drug seizure cases : CBI team led by a DIG in town, begins probe
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 17 2013: A team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched an investigation into the drug seizure cases of Pallel and Tulihal Airport.

A well placed source informed The Sangai Express that a CBI team led by a DIG arrived at Imphal yesterday to investigate into the two drug seizure cases which stand out as the biggest drug hauls in the State so far.

The State Government decided to hand over the two cases to a central investigating agency in response to allegations about involvement of some politicians in smuggling drugs.

The CBI team led by DIG Bakchi started due process of investigation into the two drug seizure cases yesterday itself.

They collected FIR case diaries of the two cases from Manipur Police today.

(L to R) The drugs seized from Tulihal airport and the ones seized at Pallel

They also conducted a spot investigation at Pallel yesterday where Thoubal comman- dos seized a huge consignment of drugs worth Rs 25 crore from six individuals including the then Defence PRO Col Ajay Chowdhry.

The team would station themselves at Imphal for sometime and investigate the drug seizure cases of Pallel and Imphal airport.

It was on February 24 this year that Thoubal Commandos apprehended Col Chow- dhry and five other persons along with drugs worth Rs 25 crore from Pallel.

Before this, the Special Intelligence Unit of Imphal West District Police seized drugs worth Rs 1.5 crore from Imphal airport.

Even as police nabbed one individual as the smuggler/owner of the seized drugs, the NDPS Court set him free citing lack of evidence.

With regard to the Pallel drug seizure case, all the seven accused were released on bail by the NDPS Court in July but their bail order was quashed by the Manipur High Court on October 3 .

Subsequently, Col Ajay Chowdhry, Indigo Airlines assistant manager Ng Brojendro, Seikholal Haokip, RK Babloo and Lunkhopao Haokip surrendered before the Court on October 9 .

Since then, they have been lodged in jail.

However, the other two accused Letminlal Haokip and Jangmingthang Tuboi are still defying the High Court directive.

On the other hand, a reliable source informed The Sangai Express that the police team sent to Delhi in connection with the arrest of three persons from Manipur along with a huge consignment of drugs worth about Rs 10 crore on October 2 in Delhi has appealed to a Delhi Court to allow them to interrogate the accused.

The three accused will be produced before the NDPS Special Court, Delhi on Monday.