Imphal, March 9: Five persons, accused of abducting a Calcutta-based chartered accountant, have been remanded to police custody till March 15 by the court of chief judicial magistrate, Imphal.
Police said they are on the trail of another culprit. Raids are being conducted to net the absconding accomplice.
Ram Narayan Singh, the proprietor of Calcutta-based chartered accountancy firm — M/S RN Singh Company — was abducted during a business trip in Imphal on March 1.
A police team, led by the Imphal West district superintendent of police S. Ibobicha Singh, rescued Ram Narayan from a city hotel on March 5. The police had raided the hotel after receiving information that a non-Manipuri businessman had been held captive in the hotel.
They arrested the three kidnappers from the hotel — Sourav Deb, an associate of the chartered accountant, Sajal Abhisek Rai, both from West Bengal and Ganesh Gurung of Imphal.
Police later arrested two other accused, Mutum Bikramjit Singh, an intern of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences and Sagolsem Bhupen. Both are residents of Imphal.
Police said Sourav, who is the head of the company’s Imphal branch, masterminded the abduction. The chartered accountant was invited to Imphal by Sourav on the pretext that his company had been asked to audit the accounts of the Manipur State AIDS Control Society (MACS).
He was abducted from outside the AIDS Control Society office from the Lamphel area here.
The absconding accomplice has been identified as Naoroibam Doren.
Police said Bikramjit posed as the commander of an underground organisation and demanded Rs 1 crore from the chartered accountant for his release.
Police said all the five accused have confessed to the crime.
Purim festival
The Judaism-practising Benei Menashe community of Mizoram celebrated the Purim festival on March 7 at the Amishav Hebrew Centre, reports our correspondent from Aizawl.
The festival of the Purim originated during the rule of King Ahasuera in Israel. The Benei Menashe or Children of Menashe, who claim descent from the Biblical Menashe, eldest son of Joseph, inhabit the Indo-Myanmar border. They trace the roots of today’s Kuki, Chin and Mizo tribes to Menashe.
