Aizawl, Dec. 19: A sensational highway robbery of gold bars allegedly committed by the officer and soldiers of a paramilitary force, mob violence in a court premises, delay in the repatriation of Brus, a lottery scam and talks with Hmar rebels were some of the developments that kept Mizoram in news in 2016.
The northeastern state was also jolted several times during the year including a 6.9-magnitude quake in April and a 6.7-magnitude one in January. After repeated delays, the National Food Security Scheme was finally implemented in the state on March 1 when 6.44 lakh people were selected under the scheme while the government also decided that rice would be provided to 5.52 lakh people at a higher price.
The top news, however, was the highway robbery. A resident of Electric Veng area here lodged an FIR on April 21 alleging around eight gun-totting soldiers waylaid his car on the southern outskirts of the capital last December and decamped with 52 gold bars worth Rs 14.5 crore which he smuggled from Mizoram-Myanmar border.The complainant claimed he did not file the FIR earlier as the soldiers, belonging to Assam Rifles, threatened him of dire consequences if he approached police. In the investigation, the eight Assam Rifles personnel reportedly told the interrogators that the dacoity was committed on the orders of the then battalion commandant and they submitted the gold bars to him at his official residence in Aizawl.
At least 14 people, including the officer, an Aizawl-based non-tribal businessman and a former student leader were arrested in this connection along with a Naik Subedar, four Havildars and three jawans of Assam Rifles.
The officer denied the charges and said he was at Silchar when the dacoity took place and claimed gun runners smuggling weapons from Myanmar were behind the heist. The state government subsequently decided to hand over the case from the special investigation team to the CBI though the investigating agency is still to respond.
