Mizoram: ZNP worker arrested for extortion bid

Investigators said Jacob called up S T Khama on his mobile phone in mid-October and asked him to pay Rs 20 lakh to their “outfit”.

The Mizoram Police arrested a Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) worker and his accomplice for threatening an Aizawl resident to pay Rs 20 lakh. The party, however, denied its involvement.

Jacob Lianhuapa (40), the chief organiser of ZNP’s youth wing and Vanlalliana (20), who has been living with Jacob for some time, were arrested by investigators late on Monday night. The ZNP stripped Lianhuapa of his position as chief organiser of the youth wing on Tuesday afternoon.

Investigators said Jacob called up S T Khama, a former ponzi scheme collector and one-time independent MLA candidate, on his mobile phone in mid-October and asked him to pay Rs 20 lakh to their “outfit”.

Jacob did not identify himself or mention what the “outfit” was, but gave S T Khama a deadline of October 26 to make the payment and said “we’ll do what needs to be done” if he did not comply.

Khama informed the police and the CID (special branch) was roped in to investigate. Plainclothes policemen tracked Khama on foot for several hours and eventually arrested Jacob and Vanlalliana on Monday night from Aizawl’s Chanmari neighbourhood.

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