Imphal, June 11: A Duty Magistrate remanded James Kuki, the main accused in the kidnapping and subsequently murder of Baby Lungnila Elizabeth to police custody for 14 days yesterday.

He is the prime accused in the sensational kidnapping for ransom and later murder of school girl, Lungnila Elizabeth, daughter of the then Education Minister Francis Ngajokpa in 2003.Following a tip off, sleuths of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) nabbed James Kuki from near Camp Hebron, the headquarters of the Isak-Muivah faction of NSCN at Dimapur on Saturday evening, said a reliable source.

James fled Manipur after being implicated in the gruesome crime.

Later he was rounded up by cadres of NSCN (I-M) and interrogated at Camp Hebron before he was released on parole by the rebel group.

Manipur erupted in anger after the lifeless body of Baby Lungnila was found inside a gunny bag at Tera Sadokpam Leikai in Imphal West District on November 13 , 2003, nine days after she was abducted by unidentified persons from near Little Flower School where she studied.

Following strong public pressure to book the perpetrators of the crime, the State Government handed over the case to the CBI for investigation.

Being taken up by the country's independent investigating agency, the case was handled by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal.

The Special Crime Branch of CBI registered a fresh case at its Kolkata office.

Besides James Kuki, two other persons accused in the case namely Thokchom Nando and N Rome are currently serving terms at Sajiwa Central Jail.

The duo had recently undergone narco-analysis and lie-detection tests at a forensic laboratory at Gandhinagar.

A team of CBI, SCB from Kolkata including its interrogators may come to Imphal in connection with the arrest of James Kuki, the source added.