Congress MLA from Manipur Yamthong Haokip was arrested on Friday by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a missing arms case, according to an official statement.
The NIA is probing the case pertaining to theft of 56 pistols and 58 magazines from the Director General (of Police) pool armoury located within the premises of 2nd Manipur Rifles Battalion, Imphal.
These weapons went missing between 2016 and early 2017.
“Yamthong Haokip was arrested on Friday for his involvement in procuring police pistols illegally and distributing them to different terrorist groups to wage war against the State,” the NIA said in the statement.
Remanded in custody
Haokip, a member of the Legislative Assembly from Manipur’s Saikul, was produced before a special court in Imphal. He has been remanded in judicial custody, the probe agency said.
“Owing to his recent illness, the NIA judge ordered jail authorities to admit him in a government hospital,” it said.
During the investigation by the NIA, one of the missing pistols was recovered at Mantri Pukhri in Imphal on July 30, 2018, during the search conducted at the residence of Haokip, besides other incriminating articles, the statement said.
During the investigation, sufficient material and other evidence was collected which established the complicity of the MLA in the case, it said. The NIA has recovered 14 weapons till date in the case and the investigation is continuing.
