Self-proclaimed external-defence minister of “independent Manipur government in exile”, Narengbam Samarjit has been sent to judicial custody after he was produced in the special NIA court in Imphal on Monday. Special NIA judge, W Tonen sent him to judicial custody for 15 days (till April 26). The court further fixed hearing for bail pleaded by the separatist leader on April 17.
Manipur police took up tight security measures at Cheirap Court Complex, Imphal, on Monday while producing him.
Samarjit is one of the two separatists who declared Manipur’s independence from Indian Union after forming the Manipur State Council (MSC) based in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2019. Following the development, NIA registered a case against him and self proclaimed chief minister of the de jure government, Yambem Biren Singh. It can also be noted here that Samarjit was arrested from Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on March 25, 2021. After his arrest in New Delhi, he brought back to Imphal by the NIA team on March 29.
The separatist leader was in London along with his associate self-proclaimed chief minister of the de-jure government Yambem Biren.
His arrest came barely two days after the NIA submitted charge-sheet against the two separatists and three others under Sections 120B and 420 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 13 and 17 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. In the charge-sheet, NIA claimed that Samarjit was the chairman and managing director of Salai Group of Companies and SMART Society and he and his associates, Elangbam Brojendro Singh and Akoijam Deepa Anand, were allegedly collecting huge amounts of money and cheating the public by taking deposits from them by offering 36 per cent annual returns without any legal authority. “These illegal funds were allegedly laundered by Samarjit through various companies”, the NIA added in the charge-sheet.
NNN