Who killed my wife poser continues to haunt hubby
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 25 2024: Who killed Lourembam Ranjita and will justice be ever served--are questions, Lourembam Loken, the deceased's husband has been left asking till today.

Lourembam Ranjita was found brutally murdered in a paddy field located at Kakmayai Mamang Loukol on August 2, 2014 .

She was a resident of Khoirom Mathak Leikai.

Ranjita was found with deep injuries on her neck, suspectedly caused by a sharp object.

Laishram Ibomcha, the prime suspect of the case from the same locality, was acquitted by a Fast Track Special Court on February 21, 2023 .

Ibomcha was arrested by the police hardly two days after the murder.

Loken alias Khongnem, the husband now has little faith in the "system" .

"Is there any justice? Is it possible to get justice without money? Getting justice seems costly and is becoming a distant dream now," he told The Sangai Express.

The person who was arrested by the police as a prime suspect and tried by law has been released by the Court.

"If he is not the killer then who is ? Why have they not arrested the person who killed my wife?" Loken asked.

As per the family of the victim and reports The Sangai Express accessed, on the fateful day of August 2, 2014, Ranjita had gone to tend to their paddy field located at Kakmayai Mana Loukol, under Yairipok police station.

She left home-Khoirom Mathak Leikai-on a black Captain bicycle, and was carrying a dao.

When she didn't return till late, her husband, Loken and some people went to look for her at the field.

On the field, they found Ranjita's lifeless body.

She was found hacked to death.

Some metres from the field was Ibomcha's brick kiln, defunct at the time.

Ibomcha is the suspect who has been acquitted by the Court.

Recalling the fateful day, Loken said Ibomcha also joined them in the search.

"When people were about to search a bush nearby, Ibomcha discouraged others saying she wouldn't be found there.

During the search, he also said that Ranjita might have been killed due to snake bite," Loken said.

Days after the brutal murder, police arrested as many as four suspects including Ibomcha and one Atingam of Komlaching.

On August 16, 2014, police recovered a long bloodstained dao from the brick kiln of Ibomcha.

Ibomcha is a person who was allegedly involved in a sexual assault case, said a Court document submitted by the police which it filed for taking him under judicial custody.

Meanwhile, a person who claimed to be a police Constable by the name NKG Singh sent a letter to Loken, the husband, on September 19, 2014 saying "Ibomcha (suspect/accused) may get released easily" .

The letter, which clearly mentioned all the names of the suspects/accused persons, alleged Ranjita wasn't killed by Ibomcha alone and it gave the names, addresses and professions of all persons allegedly involved.

It claimed one of the persons involved was close to a Minister and another was a close relative of a Parliamentary Secretary.

It alleged that the chargesheet which was to be submitted to the Court had been tampered with and changed due to political influence.

It claimed two persons involved in the murder have not been arrested.

The sender claimed a similar incident had happened to him where one of his aunts and her child were murdered.

While the Court had released the accused persons, the sender claimed, he had avenged the deaths himself.

The letter claimed Ibomcha would not get punished and he would get released easily.

Just like the letter had predicted, after 8 long years and 6 months, Ibomcha was released by the Court on February 21, 2023 .

While acquitting the accused person, the Court cited lack of evidence and said the prosecution failed to prove the charges of rape and murder levelled against Ibomcha.

The Court judgement said, the Forensic Science Laboratory report failed to corroborate the prosecution case.

While the Forensic Science Laboratory at Pangei had no facility for DNA profiling for individual identification, the prosecution did not take further steps to do the profiling at a competent laboratory.

Hence the prosecution failed to prove the charge of rape and murder against the accused person (Ibomcha), said the Court.

The judgement of the Court shattered Loken.

He recalled running from pillar to post to get justice and find out who killed his wife.

"There was Congress' Government when my wife was murdered.

When the BJP-led Government came to power I had high hopes that I would get justice.

I went and took part in every Meeyamgi Numit and urged the Chief Minister to ensure justice," Loken recalled.

Did the investigators fail to pursue the case sincerely and do the DNA profiling? What if the DNA profiling was done? These are thoughts that are now eating him alive.

He thinks the killers would have been caught and punished if there was a proper DNA profiling facility in Manipur.

"The Court has released and acquitted him (Ibomcha) .

If he didn't kill my wife, who did? Why haven't they caught the killers yet?" Loken asked.

The poor and innocent never get justice easily, Loken said.

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