Senapati, March 14: Senapati Police have arrested the prime suspect in the arson attack on a TMT-laden truck that occurred at Kabinam village along National Highway-2 earlier this month.
The accused, Ramayo Vashum (51), son of Sathphang Vashum, was taken into custody on Friday night, March 13, following a targeted operation carried out at Kathiko Karong in Senapati district.
According to police, the arrest was made after technical inputs were developed by a team led by Officer-in-Charge of Senapati Police Station, Shivin (IPS-P). Acting on the information, two teams led by the Senapati SDPO and the Special Operation Team conducted a raid at the suspect’s hideout and successfully apprehended him.
During the operation, police seized two mobile phones believed to have been used for coordinating the arson attack. The devices included a Vivo Y200 smartphone and a Kechaoda K66 keypad phone.
Investigators later traced and recovered a Gypsy vehicle bearing registration number MN08 A0099, which was allegedly used by the accused to travel to the site of the crime. Police said the vehicle’s movement was verified through CCTV footage captured near the location where the arson occurred.
Officials stated that further investigation is underway and efforts are continuing to apprehend other individuals believed to be involved in the case.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Publicity of the NSCN/GPRN released a clarification after reports surfaced regarding the accused. The organisation stated that Ramayo Vashum had previously served as a Major in the Naga Army but was compulsorily retired in 2022 due to misconduct. It added that his alleged involvement in the arson incident was a personal act and not connected to the organisation or its government structure.
