Seven arrested in Rupai Siding shootout incident

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TINSUKIA/DIGBOI/DOOMDOOMA, May 20: In a major breakthrough, Tinsukia Police arrested as many as seven persons, including a woman and absconding prime accused, in connection with killing of two persons at Rupai Siding under Doomdooma Police Station in Tinsukia district. A SIT and Crack team formed under Additional SP(Hq), which included Deputy SP Hq and two Deputy SPs, nabbed these persons with arms from different areas of Tinsukia district. The police action has been lauded by the public.

The arrested culprits are Montu Moran (21) and Rupantor Moran (25), both from Jokaichuk under Bagjan Police Station, in which Rupantor was involved in killing and Montu was an accomplice in the incident. The other apprehended persons are Niranta Baruah (36) of Kordoiguri, Ramesh Mahanta (38) of Kakopathar, Bijoy Verma (41) of Talap, Khitish Baruah of Dayel Gaon Chapakhowa and Dipali Saikia (32), wife of Bipul Saikia of Sadiya Panchmile Chapakhowa. The police seized two pistols with five rounds of ammunitions and cell phones and registered a case at Doomdooma Police Station no 127/18 u/c 448/397/302/34 IPC and R/W sec 25(1) A/27 Arms Act against all the accused. Police sources said arrested Bijoy Verma, a gun trafficker, provided the pistols to Rupantor and Montu to commit the crime. Verma had brought the pistols from Muzaffarpur and played a lead role in the public protest in the aftermath of the killings in order to cover up his unlawful activities.

Mugdha Jyoti Mahanta, the Superintendent of Police of Tinsukia, while repudiating the direct involvement of any militant organization in the incident, however, said that some of the accused might have been serving as ULFA linkmen but the ghastly act was designed primarily to extract money from business establishments. “Keeping CCTV surveillance active and working in close coordination with the local police might go a long way in dealing with such crimes in society,” said Mahanta.