IMPHAL, March 12: The seven accused in the Pallel drug trafficking case were today remanded to judicial custody till 22 March after being produced before the special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Court at Lamphelpat today noon even as women representatives of various civil society protested against the drug consignments being brought in state from other states and demanded that the real owner (s) of the drug consignment be found out at the earliest.
Members and Volunteers of various meira paibi groups protested outside the court complex holding banners and shouting slogans when all the seven were bring out from the court complex by police personnel under tight security.
It may be mentioned that the seven accused were given an order of judicial remand till 22nd March by the Judge when they were first produced in the court on 8 March. After the police sought a permission from the judge for five days of remand, they were in police custody till today for further investigation regarding the cases taken up by the Kakching police station under three different cases under FIR numbers 26, 27, and 28(3) 2013 Kakching police station for carrying illegal drugs worth 15 crores in three 4- wheelers vehicles’ on 24 February towards Moreh.
The drug traffickers who were today produced before the special NDPS court are Colonel Ajay Chowdhary who was PRO defence at the time of arrest, Saikholet Haokip; Haopou Haokip; Minthang Doungel; Minlin Haokip; N Brojendro, Assistant Manager of the Imphal office unit of Indigo airlines and R K Babloo who is a Sepoy in the Territorial Army.
It may be mentioned that 6 of the drug traffickers along with the PRO Defense was earlier arrested by a team of Thoubal police commando personnel in front of the Pallel commando post on 24 February along with a huge consignment of illegal drugs while trying to take in a huge consignment of drugs along the national highway number 2 to the bordering town of Moreh in three vehicles with `army` stickers taped to the front windshields and then led by the vehicle of PRO. Following their disclosure, police arrested Saikholet Haokip who is the son of a former Minister and a current sitting MLA on the following day along with another huge consignment of drugs.