Imphal: Investigation into the multi-crore drug seizure in Guwahati on Sunday, in which two persons including a Manipur police constable were arrested, is likely to lead to the door of Lhukhosei Zou’s family. Showing a strong possibility of the Zou family’s link in the case, vehicle a Tata Nexon car, bearing registration number MN01-AK-7218 is found to be registered in the name of Lhukhosei Zou’s daughter Kimngaiching Zou of Phaicham Veng Tengnoupal, Chandel, said sources.
Former ADC (Autonomous District Council) Chairman Lhukhosei Zou, who was acquitted in a 2018 massive drug haul case, was considered to be the alleged kingpin of the drug cartel. The state government was forced to challenge his acquittal in Manipur High Court after a civil society collective, including an organisation of former drug users, had approached the Supreme Court alleging that the prosecution refused to file an appeal against a trial court’s December 17, 2020, verdict exonerating Zou and six others.
According to reports, the Assam Police on Sunday arrested two persons identified as Thangkhogin Haokip and Letminching Haokip and seized one lakh pieces of Yaba tablets, valued at Rs 20 crore in the grey market, from their possession in the Koinadhara area in Guwahati.
The arrested Letminching Haokip is presently posted in Maphou Dam PS as a police constable.
Based on specific input, a team of the East Guwahati Police District (EGPD) from the Basistha police station, intercepted a Tata Nexon car, bearing registration number MN01-AK-7218, coming from Manipur. During the search of the car, the police team recovered the addictive tablets.
When we retrieved the details of the vehicle owner through the registration number, the vehicle was found registered in the name of Kimngaiching Zou. Digging further into the matter through sources points to Lhukhosei Zou’s family as Kimngaiching is his daughter.
Briefing the media, Joint commissioner of police, Guwahati, Partha Sarathi Mahanta said, “Busting the inter-state drugs network is a big success for our team. The consignment of Yaba tablets was brought from Manipur’s Moreh and was smuggled to Bengaluru via Guwahati.”
“The job of the arrested persons was to deliver the consignment in Bengaluru in Karnataka,” he added.
Yaba is a combination of methamphetamine (a powerful and addictive stimulant) and caffeine. Yaba, which means crazy medicine in Thai, is produced in Southeast and East Asia. The drug is popular in Asian communities in the United States and increasingly is available at raves and techno parties.
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