Manipur: Absconding district council chairman accused in multi-crore drug case surrenders before court

Lhukhosei Zou alias Shesei Zou, 51, of Phaicham Veng, Chandel, who was arrested on June 20, 2018, went missing in January 2019 after the court had granted him interim bail




Former chairman of Autonomous District Council (ADC) Chandel district, who was declared absconder in multi-crore drug seizure case, surrendered before the Special court (ND&PS), Manipur on Friday.

Lhukhosei Zou alias Shesei Zou, 51, of Phaicham Veng, Moreh ward no. 2, Chandel, went missing in January 2019 after the court had granted him interim bail.

On Friday, Zou appeared in the special court in person after the court allowed a plea submitted by his counsel to allow his client to surrender and participate in the trial. The court immediately sent Zou to judicial custody.

In the plea, the counsel said informed the court that Zou was abducted by KNA Eastern Zalengam (Burma) on January 5, 2019, and since then had been detained in Myanmar. The counsel, in the prayer, claimed that Zou was caught by the UG group with regards to the present case.

The former ADC chairman was arrested along with seven others with drugs worth over Rs 27 crore in international market by a team of Narcotic and Affairs of Border (NAB) police and Imphal West on June 20, 2018. In the midnight raid conducted at Zou’s official quarter, the joint team seized heroin No. 4 weighing 4.595 Kg and World is Yours (WY) Amphetamine tablets weighing 28 kg worth about Rs 13,78,50,000 and Rs 14 crore respectively were seized. The team also seized Rs 57, 18,000 in cash.

While chargesheet was filed against Zou on December 15, he was released on interim bail on December 19 on health grounds.

On January 8, 2019, when his routine court appearance came he failed to turn up and since then remained traceless. Accordingly, the state Government declared him as an absconder.

The former ADC chairman was elected as the member of district council on Congress ticket and later joined the BJP to form the local body government in Chandel.

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