IMPHAL, Jun 4 : With some Imphal based newspapers reporting that a suspect in the murder of Soram Lakhipyari (61) and Monika Soram (30) at their residence at Uripok Bachaspati Leikai on May 30 has been picked up and with Chief Minister N Biren corroborating the report, irate locals of the deceased and others from other localities came together, marched up to the residence of the suspect and destroyed the house of the suspect.
Incidentally 30 year old Monika Soram was four months pregnant at the time of her murder.
The Chief Minister did not divulge the name of the suspect in his speech at a function held at the auditorium of RIMS today, but the news papers had furnished the name of the suspect.
Significantly, after the mob had vandalised the house of the suspect, a highly reliable source said that the suspect had confessed to committing the double murder.
According to information culled from the spot, the mob gathered after Chief Minister N Biren announced that a suspect has been rounded up, though significantly he did not divulge the name of the suspect, and marched towards the residence of the suspect identified as Khongbantabam Hitler (30) son of Kh Ibomcha of Uripok Khumanthem Leikai and began to destroy the house of the accused after over powering the police personnel deployed there.
Incidentally, the suspect was earlier picked up by the police on June 2 and the Court had remanded him to police custody for 11 days.
As the mob marched towards the residence of the accused, police personnel on duty tried to stop them but the mob soon outnumbered the police and started to dismantle the house of the accused at about 3 pm.
Police had to use smoke bombs to bring the situation under control.
Hours after the house of the suspect was ransacked, a reliable source said that the accused Khongbantabam Hitler (30) of Uripok Bachaspati Leikai was picked up under section 302/449/120-B of IPC.
The accused was produced before the Court of the CJM, Imphal West on June 2 and he was remanded to police custody for 11 days.
During the course of the interrogation, th accused confessed that he committed the double murder, said the PRO and added that investigation of the case is on in full swing.
A reliable source informed The Sangai Express that the accused confessed that he committed the double murder last night and added that the murder may be related to theft of some valuable items from the residence of the murdered women.
In its prayer before the Court on June 2, the police had stated that the complainant of the case, Soram Tomba, on the day of the murder saw the accused walking towards a Tata Ace vehicle and driving away at high speed.
The complainant also submitted that the accused is a former boy friend of Monika before her marriage to another man. The accused had also confessed that he had an affair with Monika sometime in 2009.
Source: The Sangai Express