Murder accused of former AP MP held
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 19, 2011: In a major breakthrough, sleuths of CBI have managed to arrest one of the acccused in the sensational assassination of former MP from Arunachal Pradesh in 2007 from Imphal.

The accused is reportedly a cadre of the NSCN (IM).

Led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Arijit De and Inspector Pravin Kumar Dubey, the CBI (Special Crime Branch, Kolkata) arrested self styled lance corporal of the Naga rebel outfit identified as Kaping Luikham of Kongkhan village in Ukhrul district from north AOC yesterday evening at about 5.30. Wangcha was gunned down by two unknown armed men while he was playing badminton at Deomali multipurpose community hall in Andhra Pradesh on December 23, 2007. Another player, Lomhang Kanglom sustained bullet injury on his leg in the attack.

During the course of its investigation, the CBI was able to establish that NSCN (IM) cadres carried out the assassination of Wangcha also a former advisor to the Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister, CBI dossiers said.

Produced before the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal West by the CBI today, the CJM acceded to the prayer of the agency to grant seven day transit remand.

Subsequently the CBI team took the accused on a regular flight to Arunachal Pradesh minutes after the Court granted the prayer.

Official sources said that the late MP was instrumental in imposing the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in parts of AP to suppress activities of NSCN (IM) fighters.

In its transit remand prayer before the court, the CBI said that it has established that the accused Kaping Luikham , then a self-styled private of NSCN (IM) was operating in the Nocte tribe area of Tirap district under the Khonsa 'town command' of the 'Shongshen Battalion' of the outfit.

Kaping was one of the conspirators in the crime and he was �directly involved in the assassination of the MP�, it added.

The prayer said that a charge sheet had been filed in the Court of Judicial Magistrate first class, Deomali on September 8, last year against accused Kaping and five others under section 120 �B /302/307 IPC read with 25 (IA) (IB) and 27 (2) (3) Arms Act, 1959 and section 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (prevention) Act 1967, keeping further investigation open under section 173 (8) CrPC.

In connection with the case, the CBI has already pulled up two active cadres of the Naga rebel outfit including self-styled sergeant major Ramchan Langleng and corporal Tache Wangsu on different dates last year, CBI sources said.

Four senior cadres of the outfit including a self-styled colonel, a major and two lieutenants are absconding, the sources added.

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