What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
AIZAWL: Meghalaya Police have slapped a case of Immoral Trafficking against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s state vice president Bernard N Marak alias Rimpu after a raid was conducted at his resort in Tura, West Garo Hills on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday morning.
Marak, however, denied these charges. He maintained that he is not evading arrest nor is he absconding. He moved out of Shillong because he fears there is a conspiracy to gun him down.
Marak, who is an elected member of the Garo Hill Autonomous District Council, said while the Superintendent of Police (SP) linked the raid with some POCSO case, related to a sexual assault on a minor girl, registered in February, he is not even an accused in that case
Marak is a vocal critic of the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government, where his party is a partner. Marak said that he is being falsely implicated as he has become a threat to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.
According to West Garo Hills Police, a search operation took place on the night of July 22 at around 6 pm, which went on till 5 am the next day.
The police mentioned that the search team noticed a three-storied building with 30 small rooms at Marak’s Rimpu Bagan. They also said that around 68 young boys and girls were openly drinking on the premises, inside the rooms as well as inside the vehicles. Some of them were sitting inside the vehicle without clothes. The search team detained all 68 youths and other 5 staff members present at the site for interrogation.
Police had also recovered 36 vehicles, 47 mobile phones, 168.268 litres of liquor, huge quantities of contraceptives and other incriminating materials.
The police further stated that five children (4 boys and one girl) were also found locked inside unhygienic rooms. They have been handed over to District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) for safe custody and further necessary action as per law.
Marak, in a recorded video, denied all the accusations. He also accused CM Sangma of organizing a pre-meditated raid without a warrant on his private farm and later at his mother’s house. Marak alleged that it is an attempt to tarnish his image and that of the BJP.
Marak asserted that he does not run a brothel nor is involved in any prostitution racket or seizure of drinks that was highlighted in the media. He accused a media channel of being sponsored by Conrad’s NPP and used it as the government’s platform to tarnish his image at the national level.
Digging Marak’s past, Police said that he was a self-styled chairman of the now disbanded militant outfit named A.chik Nationalist Voluntary Council (B). He has been involved in more than 25 criminal cases like criminal intimidation, arms smuggling, prostitution, illegal sale of liquor, illegal sale of lottery tickets etc.
