Reliance Caretaker Shot Death in Front of Wife and Son

(9.00 pm April 5, 2011)

Unidentified gunmen shot dead a reliance tower caretaker in front of his wife and son at Wangkhei Wangkheimayum Leirak on Monday night. The deceased identified as Oinam Borobabu was sleeping at his bed when the armed assailant fired at his head at point blank in-front of his wife and 13 years old son. The gruesome incident happened at around 8.30 pm of Monday night.

According to reports, two gunmen came looking for the deceased Borobabu and his twin brother Sidhababu at around 8.pm last night. One among the two went at the house of Sidhababu and another entered at the house of Borobabu.

Both the twin brother work as care takers of Reliance tower and Airtel tower erected at their respective residences. The armed assailant who went to the house of Sidhababu snatch the key of the Airtel tower room while the one entered at the residence of Borobabu shot him dead in front of his wife Sandhyarani and son Deveraj who is around 13 years old. According to Sandhyarani the armed assailant entered at her house asking for her husband. When she said that her husband had gone to bed as he was not feeling well, the armed assailant straight away went towards her husband and shot him at his forehead at point blank. At the time Sandhyarani and her son was also standing in the same room. The assailants later fled the area after firing another round of gunshot in the air. The bullet riddled body of Borobabu was immediately rushed at JN Hospital where he was declared brought dead.

The deceased Borobabu age about 37 was survived by his wife and three children including a daughter.

Earlier, before entering the houses, the two armed assailants reportedly entered at the club complex of Wangkheimayum Leirak Apunba Committee where five members of the club had been watching TV. The armed assailants allegedly took three mobile phones and a torch light from them and locked them inside the room before committing the gruesome crime. According to family member of the deceased the two armed persons had come earlier on the afternoon and threatened to shut down Airtel tower to Borobabu. This was told to his wife through mobile phone who happened to be at her parental home at the time.

It may be mentioned that during the last week of March the mobile tower erected at the residential complex of late Borobabu was fired upon by unidentified persons. On the following day a person called Yaiphaba Meitei of Information and Public relation Department of KCP claimed responsibility for the attacked.

Later, today morning, a public meeting was convened at Wangkhei and formed a Joint Action Committee against the gruesome killing. The meeting resolved to urge government to punish the culprit within three days period besides providing a livelihood for the children and wife of the deceased. A memorandum in the regard was submitted to the Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh. Reliance company’s agent of Manipur, Khemchand while speaking at the public meeting said the incident was not the first of its kind. Earlier a caretaker of private mobile tower was shot dead by armed assailants at Bishnupur district besides many similar incident of attacking the mobile towers. He said the mobile service providers tower in Manipur will be shut down totally in protest against such mindless attack and killing.