Illegally transported rice seized
Source: The Sangai Express

Jiribam/Imphal, October 05 2013 : At least 150 bags of rice intended to be illegally exported to Silchar via Jiribam were seized by a team of police led by OC Y Muhindro at Jiribam Foreigner Check Post today.

The rice, which was transported in a 407 Mini Tata (ASH-A/4917) and a DI Tata (511A/5996) vehicles, was said to have been unloaded from a Sangaiprou (Imphal) bound Tata truck bearing Reg No MN01-6278 .

The Tata truck driver has been identified as Salam Rame (30) .

Besides detaining the drivers as well as the vehicles, a case has been registered by the Po-lice for further investigation.

The driver of the DI truck has been identified as Md Nijamuddin (36) s/o (L) Md Muffijuddin of Islamabad, Jiribam while the Mini-Tata truck driver is Md Inul Ali Laskar (28) s/o Md Anwar Ali Lasker of Maherpur, Silchar.

The seized trucks at Jiribam

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters today at its office located at MG Avenue, the Manipur Truck Owners' Welfare Association president H Ranjit said that 194 bags of FCI rice were loaded in the truck driven by Rame (Ramesh-war) from Jiribam FCI godown on Oct 1 .

Ranjit said that on getting specific information that the rice would be transported to As- sam, staff of Manipur Truck Owners' Welfare Association stationed at Jiribam alerted Jiri police with an appeal to stop all vehicles carrying rice from crossing Assam.

Based on the revelation of the two drivers who were held today, the driver of the truck (MN01-6278), Rame was arrested along with the truck at his hideout at Leingangpokpi by the police.

There are only 44 bags of rice in the truck, Ranjit said.

Lauding the efforts of the Jiribam police led by its Additional SP, the association demanded fitting punishment for the drivers including sending them to jail.

Conveying that no driver within the association has been involved in exporting rice through illegal means, Ranjit pledged that none of its members would resort to such activity in future too.

He added that Rame would be banned from transporting FCI rice throughout his lifetime.

Earlier, four drivers namely Ranjit Hazarika, Laimayum Surjit, Md Abir Khan and Seram Shanta who were involved in plunderage of FCI rice were banned from transporting FCI rice.

Meanwhile, All Manipur Road Transport Drivers and Motor Workers' Union general secretary H Kulamani said that all the drivers including Rame are terminated from the union for their lifetime.