Session Judge, Imphal West on Saturday remanded an NRFM cadre into four-day police custody till June 21 in connection with IED blast on May 5 in front of Sachitra Car House located at Nagamapal Lamabam Leikai, Imphal West.
A cadre of the National Revolutionary Front of Manipur (NRFM), Thounaojam Rishi Luwangcha, 46, son of (L) Th Shelung of Kangla Sangomshang Makha Leikai, Imphal East was arrested on June 6 by the Imphal West CDO team in another case of bomb blast at Little Flower School on June 5.
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The accused was produced before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal West and remanded to police custody till June 18 in connection with the blast at Little Flower School. However, he was formally arrested by Imphal PS in connection with bomb blast in front of Sachitra Car House, Nagamapal. The accused was formally arrested with permission from the Special Judge NIA, Manipur when he was produced for judicial custody by Lamphel PS under section 307/506/427/34 IPC and explosion substance act and UAP Act.
Session Judge, Imphal West kept the FIR of Lamphel PS in abeyance till the expiry of police custody of Imphal PS.
The IO of the LFS bomb blast case submitted that during the remand period in police custody, the accused admitted to have committed the crime in collusion with one Thangjam Dabaloo@Lemba@Premananda@Victor Meitei@ Macha@Pabung@Baji Macha@Thangjam Chinglensana, 36 of Nongren, Imphal East (secy/finance cum external affair of NRFM) and their associates.
The accused also disclosed that he was earlier arrested by City PS in a stolen case and lodged in Sajiwa jail in 2011.
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When the accused was in Sajiwa jail he remained in sector-1 where most of the arrested cadres of KCP were lodged. The accused often chatted with Dabaloo and even agreed to meet after being released from the jail, the IO said.
After being released in 2011, Thounaojam Rishi Luwangcha started chatting with Dabaloo and carried out a series of bomb blasts following the instruction of Dabaloo since January 8, 2022. After the bomb blast at Nagamapal Car House on June 5, the accused carried out two more blasts, one at the gate of RK Birendra (executive engineer, agriculture Department Manipur) at Khurai Thoidingjam Leikai and another at LFS on the same day, i.e., June 6, submitted the IO of the case.
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"Dabaloo told the accused that LFS authority took huge donations for the admission of students. This has resulted in the inability of under privileged students to study in such good mission schools like LFS. When the outfit approached the school authority to give a certain seat quota, the school authority didn't listen and refused the outfit's proposal. As a warning to the school authority, the outfit had exploded the IED", stated the accused during police interrogation in police custody.
The Session Judge, Imphal West in connection with the FIR case at Imphal PS remanded him into police custody for four days till June 21.