DIMAPUR, March 1 – The NSCN-K has urged the Nagaland Bar Association and Dimapur Bar Association not to allow any law firm or practitioner under them to represent the criminals involved in a kidnapping case who have been handed over to the 'Indian authorities' for further interrogation.
The NSCN-K in a statement said, in its endeavour to clamp down on the anti-social activity of abduction of business persons for ransom, it had apprehended one Jacob alias Sevitao (44) and Romeo Poumai (33), both from Senapati district of Manipur.
During their interrogation, it said both had admitted their involvement in the kidnapping of Hariram Gupta, a prominent businessman of Dimapur, near Walford on the evening of Nov 25 last year after which they were handed over to the police for further interrogation.
However, the NSCN-K said it has learnt that the two, having handed over only a fraction of the ransom amount to the police, are preparing a legal team to seek their bail utilising the remaining ransom amount. It stated that at a time when the business community in Nagaland is being terrorised by kidnappers and anti-social elements, it would tantamount to approving kidnappers to come out of jail and continue from where they left if these criminals are not punished for their crime, adding that these criminals are a menace to the business community in particular and Naga society in general.
In this connection, the NSCN-K has appealed to the Nagaland Bar Association and Dimapur Bar Association not to allow any law firm or law practitioners under them to represent these criminals. It also appealed to the lawyer(s) who have been approached to represent the two accused to 'kindly understand the gravity of the crime vis-à-vis the predicament of business community'.
Moreover, beyond this public appeal, the NSCN-K cautioned that any lawyer attempting to seek bail for these two accused would 'be considered as aiding and abetting criminals in the Naga society and therefore necessary action shall be initiated'.