Dimapur police arrests 3 persons for MRP fraud, extortion

DIMAPUR — In a major breakthrough, the Dimapur Police Commisionerate on Tuesday arrested three persons in connection with ‘MRP fraud/extortion’ cases targeting traders in Dimapur.

As per the press note issued by Commissioner of Police Dimapur on Wednesday, the arrested persons are one Khekato Zhimomi (35), SS Tatar NSCN (IM); Khukivi Aye (29), SS Leacy NSCN (IM); and Rabi Dey, pan shop vendor at Sematilla.

The shops targeted include Bishnu Hardware, Nagaland Hardware, MP Enterprise and Sunil Cloth Store in Dimapur.

The police said the group’s modus operandi involved planting price tagging devices and MRP tags with inflated prices in various shops across Dimapur with the help of Rabi Dey.

“Thereafter, these shops are raided by NSCN (IM) cadres where the shop owners are charged of removing the original MRP and tagging inflated MRP on the items with the price tagging devices,” it said.

Further, some shop keepers were reportedly “abducted or summoned to their camps, harassed, tortured”, with videos of their forced confessions being recorded. These videos were then used as leverage, threatening to expose the shop owners on news channels and social media unless they met the extortion demands. 

As per the press note, investigations revealed that Rabi Dey is in the payroll of Khekato Zhimomi, and had procured five price tagging devices and MRP tags through online shopping. One device was seized from his shop, with three already deployed in the scheme and another expected to be delivered on April 27.

“Using this modus operandi they extorted huge amount of money from several business owner in Dimapur,” it said.

The police added that a suo motto case has been registered against the accused “under relevant provision of law at East Police Station and West Police Station respectively and investigation is ongoing”.

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