Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 23:
Cracking the whip to check extortions and demands by militants served on Government officials through telephones and mobile phones, the Chief Secretary has today issued a notification that action will be taken up against the owners of the mobile phones or telephones.
If anybody has lost his/her mobile then the matter should be reported immediately to the police to deactivate them, said the Chief Secretary and added that failure to inform the police will be taken as voluntarily giving the mobile phones to militants to indulge in extortion.
In the notification, the Chief Secretary noted that officials and businessmen are being called up by militants through mobile phones to put forward their monetary demands.
In many cases, Govt officials have also been given mobile numbers to contact militant leaders to settle financial matters.
Likewise, the IG (LO-I) S Dinokumar has also issued a notification asking all those who have lost their mobile phones to inform the police.
In case of failure to inform the matter to the police, then action would be taken up against the mobile phone owners from whose mobiles extortion calls were made by militants on the ground that the mobile phones were voluntarily given to the militants.
Significantly an order was earlier passed prohibiting anyone from carrying a mobile phone inside the office premises of the PWD in the face of the growing monetary demands served on the Engineers by militant organisations.