More nabbed after V Shekhar's arrest
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, July 21 2011:
On the wake of the arrest of Verraya Shekhar, president of Tamil Sangam, Moreh by Raipur police from Chennai on July 14 on charge of being an international cocaine smuggler and killing of his one time associate Rajesh Dagar, Narcotic Control Bureau Regional Unit Imphal on Wednesday evening detained S Antiagu John Kennedy (45) son of Late S Anthiago of Moreh ward No 3 .
The NCB team arrested John from Imphal Airport on his way from Chennai to Imphal as soon as he landed at the airport in an Indigo flight.
He was detained on charges of drug smuggling.
According to sources from NCB, John has been working under V Shekhar who was arrested by Raipur police from Chennai Aiport.
John received ' 10,000 every month from Shekhar for smuggling red sandalwood across the border.
NCB claimed that John met V Shekhar on June 29 this year in a marriage party in Chennai.
NCB raided John's room at Majorkhul where he has been staying for the last three months in a rented house.
John has been sharing the room with one K Anand son of Late Karupiya of PS road, Moreh.
During the raid, NCB recovered some pharmaceutical documents, two invalid driving licences of K Anand, a photocopy of a drug licence issued by a Drug Inspector and the Medical Director Manipur from the room of K Anand.
The two rooms of Anand and John were separated by a partition.
Separate addresses were found in the two driving licences of Anand.
NCB sources said that K Anand might be in Chennai at present and he might have also attended the marriage party in which both Verraya Shekhar and John were seen together in a photograph.
Talking to Hueiyen Lanpao, John admitted that he was working under Shekhar for the past seven years in smuggling red sandalwood across the border and Shekhar paid him ' 10000 every month for his work.
However, he gave up smuggling of sandalwood and started exporting Indian sarees to a Myanmarese woman called Maumee of Tamu some six months back.
He also said that he has been sharing the same premises with K Anand for the past three months.
During the three months, they only met once.
He also said that he does not know Anand's mobile number.
Meanwhile, Tamil Sangam Moreh and other civil organisations in Moreh including Meetei Council Moreh demanding the unconditional release of V Shekhar staged a sit in protest in Moreh today.
Around 1000 members and traders of the civil organisations in Moreh participated in the sit in protest.
On the other hand, the 48 hour bandh called by Tamil Sangam against the 'unwarranted' arrest of V Shekhar severely affected normal life in the border town.
Mention may be made here that CNN-IBN had reported on March 12, 2009 that Verraya Shekhar alias Moreh Shekhar and Krishnaswamy alias Appu have been controlling the racket of smuggling red sandalwood led by a politically connected mafia in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Manipur after police gunned down Veerappan who was known as the king of sandalwood jungles.
The report stated that Shekhar is close to several top BJP leaders and operated from Delhi, Kolkata, Andhra Pradesh and Chennai.
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