Mizoram Police arrest Jharkhand couple linked to 2017 murder case

Mizoram Police arrested a couple from Jharkhand, seven years after they allegedly killed their friend in Aizawl, a senior officer said on Thursday.
    
The accused, Manik Das (44) and his wife Anjali Devi (40), were apprehended at their residence at Aamdhari village in Dumka district on September 29 and brought here on Wednesday, Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Lalbiakthanga Khiangte said.
    
The couple, both labourers, allegedly murdered their friend Mangra and buried his body inside a rented house in the Falkland area here in March 2017. Mangra, who was also from Jharkhand, shared the accommodation with the couple and their three children, he said.
    
After committing the crime, the couple fled to Jharkhand with their children, Khiangte added.
    
The incident came to light on March 25, 2017, when a leader of the Young Mizo Association (YMA) informed police about the discovery of a body in a house. A team from Bawngkawn police station rushed to the scene, conducted necessary formalities, and initiated a probe.
    
A case was registered at Bawngkawn police station in April 2017 under Sections 302 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

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An autopsy report suggested that Mangra might have died from asphyxia due to smothering, though the exact cause could not be determined because of the body's advanced state of decomposition, he added.
    
During the investigation, Mizoram Police learnt that the couple had been arrested by Jharkhand's Kathikund police on March 26, 2017, for a double murder in their native state.
    
After obtaining a production warrant from the chief judicial magistrate in Aizawl in November 2019, a police team was dispatched to Kathikund to arrest them.
    
However, attempts to apprehend the couple over the years were delayed due to Citizenship Amendment Act protests in several states and the Covid-19 pandemic, Khiangte explained.
    
On September 26, a five-member police team, led by Inspector Maria Biakchungnungi and guided by Aizawl SP Rahul Alwal, went to Jharkhand and brought the couple to Aizawl on Wednesday.
   
Khiangte confirmed that the couple had been imprisoned in Jharkhand for six years and were currently on bail before being arrested by Mizoram Police.