A local court in Manipur on Monday remanded arrested defence public relations
officer (PRO) Lieutenant Colonel Ajay Chaudhary to 12 days police custody.
The army officer was arrested on Sunday along with five others in Chandel district for transporting illegal drugs, meant to be smuggled out to bordering Myanmar.
Official sources said all the accused were produced in the court of chief judicial magistrate, Thoubal on Monday. The court sent them to 12 days police remand.
During interrogation, Col Chaudhary had told the police that he thought the merchandise kept in his vehicle was the personal belongings of his friend, IndiGo assistant manager Ngairangbam Brojendro Singh who was traveling with him.
Apart from the army officer, those arrested were his assistant RK Bablu, the IndiGo official besides three others, Haopu Haokip, Minthang Bongel and Milan Haokip. Among the last three, one is related to a senior state government official and another to a former minister who is now an MLA, but the police refused to identify them.
Official sources said three FIRs had been filed under Sections 21 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. The police said the seized pseudo ephedrine tablets were worth Rs.15 crore in the international black market. Several Manipuri organisations have condemned the incident.
@ prasmaz
