State BJP vice president Bernard Marak will spend another six days in the custody of Tura police.
The Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Tura has today remanded Marak to six-day police custody.
Marak was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate today after his eight-day police custody ended.
However, police said they needed to interrogate Marak on other charges against him and requested the court to extend his police custody.
Since the Chief Judicial Magistrate extended the custody to six more days, Marak would have to spend in the Tura police lockup till August 10.
However, the court has ordered the conditional release of all persons arrested from Marak’s farmhouse ‘Rimpu Bagan’ in Edenbari, Tura on July 22. They have been released on a bond amount of Rs 15,000 and surety of the same amount.
Marak, who is accused of running a ‘brothel’ at his farmhouse ‘Rimpu Bagan’ in Edenbari, Tura, was arrested by Uttar Pradesh Police on July 26 from Pilkhuwa town in Hapur district.
Pilkhuwa police with the help of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Uttar Pradesh Police arrested Marak near a toll plaza at the Ghaziabad border following a look-out notice issued against him by the Meghalaya Police.
Marak was brought to Tura on July 28, two days after his arrest in Uttar Pradesh.
On the same day, he was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate and remanded to eight-day police custody.
Marak who is also the member of Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) had been absconding after police raided his farmhouse on July 22. Six minors were rescued and 73 persons were arrested during the raid.
Police also claimed they recovered a huge quantity of liquor, large number of contraceptives, cell phones and incriminating documents during the raid.
A case was registered against Marak under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956. On July 25, the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Tura had issued a non-bailable warrant against the Tura MDC.
On July 28, a team of District Child Protection Unit and Tura police found explosive devices from Rimpu Bagan when they went there to collect the clothes and books of the rescued children.
According to police, during the search at the premises, they found one small door-like structure. They also said that when they broke open the door, they found 35 Gelatin sticks, 100 detonators, four cross bows and 15 arrows.
Following the recovery, police said that Marak would be charged under Explosives Substances Act, 1908.
Police also said that a fresh FIR has been registered against Marak under the POCSO Act after medical reports of one of the rescued children showed that the child has been sexually assaulted.
It may be mentioned that on July 27, the West Garo Hills district administration ordered a magisterial inquiry to look into the legalities of the farmhouse owned by Marak in Tura.
The inquiry will be conducted by the executive magistrate Rezia Ch Sangma who has been given 15 days to complete the inquiry and submit the report to district magistrate Swapnil Tembe.
Marak was the chairman of the now-disbanded ANVC-B, a breakaway faction of the Achik National Volunteer Council, before he joined the BJP and won the GHADC elections from Tura constituency.
