Nagaland police officer steals bullets, held

GUWAHATI: An inspector of Nagaland Police and five others were arrested for stealing ammunition from the central store of the force in Dimapur.

While an investigation is underway and it will reveal where the consignment was destined to, it is suspected that the ammunition was meant for groups in strife-torn and neighbouring Manipur.

Inspector Michael Yanthan, in-charge of the arms and ammunition branch of the police's central store, confessed to his crime.

The police recovered 2500 assorted bullets on July 10 after intercepting a car at 6th Mile area of Chumoukedima. The ammunition was concealed in rice bags.

During a stock verification on July 9, the police detected the bullets missing. The revelation prompted the force to launch an operation. The missing bullets were recovered the next day. Two persons were also arrested.

The duo told the police they collected the ammunition from the house of a woman, who is the widow of a former NSCN-IM member. She told the police she received the ammunition from a deputy "kilonser" (minister) of a Naga insurgent group.

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The police then zeroed in on the deputy kilonser and he said he had purchased the bullets from Yanthan. The insurgent leader was subsequently arrested.

During interrogation, Yanthan told the police one person paid him Rs 4.25 lakh to purchase 2,500 bullets of SLR and INSAS rifles.

Given the ongoing clashes in Manipur, the incident is being investigated with all seriousness by Nagaland Police. A high-level team, headed by an Inspector General, has been constituted to probe the case.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said action would be taken as per law.

"Some people have been arrested and an investigation is going on. The law will take its own course," Rio told journalists.

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