Police Suspect Hand Of Myanmar Junta In Mizo Trio's Murder

AIZAWL: New theories are being forwarded by the cops four days after three Mizoram residents were found dead inside neighbouring Myanmar. Mizoram Police on Sunday said former members of the Chin Defence Force (CDF), a local resistance group in the Chin State of Myanmar, acting on behalf of the Myanmar military junta or Chin arms smugglers could have killed the victims.

Earlier, police believed that CDF could have killed the Mizos for swindling money meant for buying rifles from India. Police also suspected that the bodies, which were found on Wednesday night, were burnt after killing them inside the Chin State.

The victims were identified as C Biaksuii (48) alias Suiteii Chinzah, a woman who was earlier a Myanmar citizen, Bablu Talukdar (37), both residents of Siaha district, and B Lathafamkima (44), a driver from Lungpher village in Lwngtlai district who took the other two deceased to Myanmar.

Conflicting reports are emerging of the actual reason for the trio going to the Myanmar side. One report said they went there to return the money, while another said they crossed the border to get money apart from bringing back the sick person.

A police source said preliminary inquiry reports suggested that C Biaksuii, another woman identified as Lalnunsiami and B Lalthafamkima crossed the Mizoram-Myanmar border from Ainak village in Lawngtlai district in early February. The trio met two suspected cadres of the CDF (of the Vuangtu area) and received a huge amount of Kyat (Myanmar currency) equivalent to Rs 59.50 lakh stuffed in a bag to buy six AK-47 rifles from India.

However, after the trio failed to buy the assault rifles on time, issues began to crop up between them and the Myanmarese militants. The militants accused the trio and their contacts in Mizoram of swindling Rs 5.50 lakh out of the total money given to them, the officer said. Later, it was reported that the swindled amount is only Rs 50,000 and not a sum big enough to eliminate three people, the officer said.

He informed that their needle of suspicion for the murder changed after the actual swindled amount came to light and now said the killers could be former members of CDF working for the junta or gun-runners in Myanmar, who took advantage of the CDF's problem with their contacts in Mizoram.

It should be mentioned that, C Biaksuii and Bablu Talukdar were called out of their homes early on March 19 morning by a man known to them and were taken to the border in a mini-truck driven by B Lalthafamkima. and they reached Ainak village in Lawngtlai district at about 7.30 am on the same day. Ainak village in just across the Myanmar border and the four persons crossed over to the neighbouring country allegedly to bring a sick person.

Siaha police station officer-in-charge, inspector Zamzamung Vualnam, earlier said a criminal case under sections 302, 363, 364A, 341, 342, 343, 346, 379 of the IPC, Section 181 MV Act and Section 14 of the Foreigners Act was registered and started investigating the case.

Vualnam said over 10 people were interrogated by the investigating team in connection with the case and that a breakthrough is expected soon.

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