Nagaland: DRYO, TYOD demand probeinto alleged police misconduct

Dimapur Rengma Youth Organisation (DRYO) and Tenyimi Youth Organisation Dimapur (TYOD) have expressed serious concern over an incident reported by a local channel alleging misconduct by police personnel in connection with a lost mobile phone case.
DRYO: In a press statement, DRYO president Hyulonyu Semp and advisor Aga Rengma said that in October last year a young woman filed an FIR at East Police Station after losing her mobile phone. After a “preliminary examination,” there was reportedly no further response from the police.
According to DRYO, the woman later traced the phone herself with the help of friends and family. The phone was found with a road labourer, who allegedly said he purchased it from another person for Rs. 2,500.
DRYO stated that police later traced the phone to him and allegedly demanded Rs. 19,000 to be paid to the original owner, which was reportedly reduced to Rs. 12,000, paid by the labourer. The organisation alleged that the labourer was then allowed to retain the phone, while the money was neither returned to the rightful owner nor was she informed of any “so-called settlement,” and the case was closed.
DRYO said that had the woman not pursued the matter, it might have gone unnoticed like many other allegedly compromised cases. It said the episode raised serious concerns about accountability and public trust in law enforcement. DRYO questioned how people can trust the system if police act as negotiators in crime and how many other cases might have been resolved through unofficial means and what the purpose of filing an FIR would be if justice depended on negotiation rather than due legal process.
It said people approach the police during distress, and any exploitation of victims or the poor amounts to institutional corruption rather than mere negligence. Such alleged actions, DRYO maintained, erode public faith in the police and administration and weaken confidence in the rule of law. . It stressed that corruption of this nature should not be treated as a “small matter” or internal issue.
DRYO demanded an immediate independent inquiry, strict disciplinary and legal action against those responsible, transparency in handling recovered property and FIR closures, and stronger accountability mechanisms to prevent recurrence.
TYOD: Condemning the alleged misconduct of police personnel in connection with a stolen mobile phone case, Tenyimi Youth Organisation Dimapur (TYOD) president Khrozote Kapfo and general secretary Asungbe Hau said it had come to light that the mobile phone was recovered from a daily wage labourer residing at Naga United.
However, instead of being returned to the rightful owner or produced as evidence, the organisation alleged that the phone was allowed to remain with the same individual after he reportedly paid Rs. 12,000 without the knowledge of the owner.
TYOD termed the act a serious abuse of power, gross negligence of duty, and a blatant violation of public trust.
TYOD demanded an immediate, transparent, and impartial probe into the matter. It also called for strict disciplinary action against those found responsible and sought assurance from the authorities that such incidents would not be repeated.