July 4 Dimapur Murder Case: defendant charged for forgery

Five months into the July 4, 2013 Dimapur murder trial, police levelled fresh charges against one of the four defendants facing trial. Defendant, T Yapang Ao who was on bail was re-arrested in March last for forgery and subsequently granted bail.

The arrest was made after the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the murder case, discovered an appointment letter dating to June 2013. The letter contained an office memo declaring the appointment of the murder victim to the post of sectional assistant in the PWD, which was reportedly appended by an official whose identity has not been disclosed.

As stated in the letter, the memo came from the office of the PWD, Kohima, sources said. According to the sources, T Yapang had allegedly facilitated the acquiring of the appointment as a middleman. As this particular aspect was separate from the murder probe, a fresh investigation was launched, resulting in the re-arrest of T Yapang. The defendant was booked under IPC sections relating to forgery and fraud, remanded to police custody and forwarded to the court and subsequently granted bail in this regard.

During the course of the fresh probe, investigators obtained certain ‘files’, which according to the sources could well open a pandora’s box relating to appointments. The investigators also obtained a document containing a list of names said to be of candidates, who were appointed around the time the deceased victim received the appointment letter.  The sources further said that the official whose signature was found appended in the appointment letter was also questioned by investigators. To verify its authenticity, a specimen of the signature was sent for handwriting analysis, it was disclosed.   

Furthermore, the discovery of the letter and the subsequent investigation has resulted in the PWD initiating an internal departmental inquiry. The police investigating the case have not yet been informed about the outcome of the inquiry.