Media restrained from taking pictures or querying too far
THOUBAL, June 15: In what could be described as amazing and at the same time shocking, robbers gained entry into the private residence of the State’s Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh at Thoubal Athokpam Makha Leikai and decamped away with several valuables and household items.
Sources said, the burglary came to light only around 1pm today.
Soon after the incident came to light, DGP Shahid Ahmad led a State police team including top officials to the burglary site to take stock of the situation.
The State forensic team also arrived and examined the crime scene.
On the other hand, top police officials restricted the media from taking pictures of the scene and disuaded them from publishing the report.
According to local sources, no one stays at the house and is kept locked for most of the times.
The locks are opened only when family members come for a visit, sources said. The immediate neighbour on the northern side of the three storeyed building is the Chief Minister’s younger brother Okram Ibotomba.
Around 30 personnel of the 3rd IRB are deployed round the clock at the northern main gate of the building; however, the southern main gate was unguarded, informed the sources.
It is also believed that the robbers could have entered the house from the southern side taking advantage of the absence of security.
It is also learnt that the Chief Minister’s wife and Khangabok MLA Okram Landhoni had come to attend a prize distribution function for meritorious students. Before the start of the function, the MLA wanted to rest for some time at the house.
The burglary came to light only when the MLA entered the house and found the locks of the other rooms all broken and the house ransacked.
However, it is not known, when and how the burglary was carried out.
Only the rooms on the third floor were burgled, and the estimate of the items burgled or what was missing from the house could not be confirmed, informed the source.
Meanwhile, local eyewitnesses said that soon after receiving the news of the burglary, a huge contingent of the police arrived and surrounded the area.
Suspecting that explosives could have been planted inside the house, the bomb expert and the forensic team were called to inspect the house, further added the source.
It is also learnt that a ladder suspected to be used by the burglars was recovered and some fingerprints detected from around the window sills.
It is also believed that the burglars could have climbed from a storehouse near the southern gate.
