Two accused pulled up Memchoubi's Murder Case
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 21 2012: Police probing the murder case of Memchoubi have succeeded in rounding up two individuals including a stepson of the deceased.

Moreover, it has been established that the murder was carried out by hiring mercenaries.

Briefing media persons about their findings this evening, Lamphel PS OC Inspector N Ingocha said that a combined team of Lamphel PS, Imphal West commandos and Bishnupur commandos conducted a search operation in Toubul area in the night of December 19 .

The search operation was launched after identifying a mobile phone number used by a suspect in the murder case.

The combined force raided a house at Toubul Awang Leikai at about 2 am of December 20 and apprehended one Longjam Ratan alias Yokhatpa (22) s/o late Lokera.

On preliminary questioning, Ratan confessed his involvement in the murder of Memchoubi.

Ratan was a trained UNLF cadre who surrendered to the Assam Rifles post based at Tengnoupal in 2007 .

The two accused produced before the media

When he surrendered at the AR post, he came across two PREPAK cadres who had already surrendered at the same AR post.

The two surrendered PREPAK cadres were senior to Ratan and they were already running a gang.

On the way back to Imphal, the combined team, acting on the disclosure of Ratan, pulled up one Lourembam Ibohal (34) from his Kwakeithel Bazar residence in the morning of December 20.It turned that Ibohal is a stepson of Memchoubi.

Late Memchoubi alias Mema was the third wife of Nilabir.

Nilabir has two sons and two daughters from his first wife Achanbam (N) Memcha .

But the couple divorced and Memcha went to her parental home at Oinam Bazar together with her children.

Nonetheless, the children used to visit their father every now and then, said Inspector Ingocha.

Likewise, Nilabir's second wife Ningthoujam (N) Prava alias Mema has been staying with her parents at Wangoo after the couple divorced.

Incidentally, Ibohal is the son of Nilabir and Prava.

Following frequent disputes with late Memchoubi, Ibohal moved out and shifted to Kwakeithel.

In the meantime, Prava instigated her son to hire a Maibi and use sorcery against Memchoubi.

Interestingly, Memchoubi herself was also a Maibi.

Ultimately, a plot was hatched to get Memchoubi killed after offering Rs 1.80 lakhs to the two PREPAK surrenderees.

The two PREPAK surrenderees subsequently hired Ratan.

One of the PREPAK surrenderees called out Memchoubi using Ratan's mobile phone on November 29 in the pretext of buying some paraphernalias needed to please some spirits.

They brought Memchoubi till Langol and there they charged Memchoubi of smuggling heroin and running guns.

They also used a pistol having no bullets.

In the next moment, they tried to killed Memchoubi by strangulating using a piece of cloth but Memchoubi was not dying.

Then Ratan pulled out a knife slit Memchoubi's throat.

Thus Memchoubi was murdered at about 5.30 pm of November though her body was discovered next morning, said Ingocha.

After murdering the woman, Ratan came to Langol Ningthou Leikai together with the two PREPAK surrenderees.

Ratan put up the night at Langol hills with one of the PREPAK surrenderees while the other went back home.

The empty pistol was found buried atop the hill.

The next morning, the two PREPAK surrenderees gave Rs 50,000 to Ratan at a tea stall near Shija Hospital.

The money given to Ratan was from some amount given to the two PREPAK surrenderees by Ibohal and two women who came to the tea stall earlier in a Tata Magic (MN-01W/0417) which has been subsequently seized.

Further, one Kinetic Honda scooter (MN-1J/6679) used in transporting the pistol has also been seized.

Both the vehicles belong to Ibohal.

Ratan and Ibohal have been remanded to police custody till December 29 .

As for the two PREPAK surrenderees, it is suspected that they have gone into an AR camp.

The two women who came with Ibohal to deliver the money are also still at large.

Nonetheless, further investigation is on, said the OC.

Two mobile phone handsets have been recovered from Ratan and Ibohal, and it has been established that the phone used in calling out Memchoubi was Ratan's phone.

But the pirated SIM using in making the particular was found already destroyed.

Saying that all the accused would be punished according to law, the police officer appealed to all the people not to indulge in acts of vandalism like burning down houses of the accused.

Soibam (N) Lourembam (O) Memchoubi alias Mema (48) of Haobam Marak Lourembam Leikai was found murdered in the morning of November 30 at Langol-Lamdeng road.

Her corpse was disposed off as an unclaimed body before her family could claim it.